The National Electoral Commission (NEC) is today expected to release the final list of candidates aspiring to join the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

EALA is the legislative arm of the East African Community (EAC), a five-nation economic regional bloc which Rwanda joined mid this year.

"The final list of the candidates who are aspiring to join the EALA may come out on Thursday (today) if the EALA law comes out in the official gazette,” Prof. Chrysologue Karangwa, NEC Chairman, said on Tuesday.

The law was due to be published in the official gazette yesterday.

Prof. Karangwa said that a big number of candidates have submitted their nominations but declined to release their names.

He said the college of commissioners has to first revise the candidatures submitted which may lead to some aspirants being vetted out before the final list is made public.

Sources said that at least 33 aspirants are supposed submit in their candidatures.

Aspirants for women, youths and disabled seats had submitted by Tuesday.

It was not clear by press time whether political organizations had submitted the names of their respective candidates.

So far, sources said, eleven candidates are eyeing the disabled seat, six are in for the youth slot while four are chasing the women’s seat.

Representatives of these special groups will occupy three slots out of nine that Rwanda has in the regional House, with each taking one.

The six other slots will go to political organisations, according to the bill.

Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) will take three while one will go to other parties that campaigned alongside RPF during the 2003 general elections.

They are Workers Party (PSL), Centrist Democratic Party, Ideal Democratic Party (PDI) and People’s Union for Democracy (UDPR).

The two other parties that contested the 2003 elections on their own – Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Liberal Party (PL) – will take one seat each.

After the college of commissioners’ vetting, the final list of candidates will be forwarded to the Parliament for elections.

The candidates will be elected during a joint session of deputies and senators.

Sheikh Abdul Karim Harerimana (RPF), Jacqueline Muhongayire (PSD) and Claire Kayirangwa (UDPR) recently resigned their parliamentary seats to vie for EALA.

The EALA bill requires civil servants eyeing EALA seats to resign from their leadership positions before campaigns.

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