The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Denis Polisi, was Wednesday re-elected for another one-year mandate as the head of the Rwanda chapter of Amani Forum.

AMANI Forum is a parliamentary initiative working to build peace and mitigate conflict in the Great Lakes Region.

Polisi was re-elected during the AMANI Forum’s Annual General Assembly that took place at the parliamentary buildings on Wednesday.

Other leaders of the forum were elected both at regional and national levels with women scooping the majority posts that were contested.

Members of the Forum elected Senator Stephanie Mukantagara as vice chair, while Yvonne Uwayisenga was elected as secretary general.

MP Theoneste Begumisa was elected Uwayisenga’s deputy, while Pelagie Mukantaganzwa was elected the Treasurer of the forum deputised by Saidat Mukanoheli.

The three seats of supervisors were occupied by Senator Specioza Ayinkamiye, Esperance Mwiza and former Member of Parliament François Nduwumwe.

The Forum Members also elected two Chapter members to represent the country in the Regional Executive Committee, and in this regard, Evaliste Kalisa and Julienne Uwacu were elected as representatives.

Meanwhile, earlier before the elections, members had a heated meeting at which former representative of the Chapter at regional level, Juliana Kantengwa, requested to step down and not be re-elected.

"I know there is influence in this and that is why I want to make clear that me, Juliana Kantengwa, has resigned my position in Amani Forum because of other commitments I have at the continental level,” Kantengwa told the General Assembly.

Kantengwa is the regional Secretary General of Amani Forum, a position she intends to resign from as well. Currently, she sits in the Pan-African Parliament where she heads the Foreign Affairs Commission.

After the elections, Polisi called upon the new leadership to work towards rebuilding a region with a strong foundation to avoid violence and aim for peace.

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