Who will be the next Senate president?

Former Senate president Dr Jean-Damascène Ntawukuliryayo resigned last week, leaving the institution’s top seat vacant. The Upper House is currently headed by Senator Bernard Makuza, who will serve in interim capacity for not more than 30 days as stipulated by the law. Many people spoke how and why Ntawukuliryayo stepped down but for political observers, the biggest question is who will be the next senate president? The New Times took a look into the 25 senators (excluding Ntawukuliryayo), to assess the potential candidates for the job. Analysts suggest the job requires more than just being a senator or belonging to any political grouping. “The power sharing clause in the constitution is already complied with since the President and the Speaker of Parliament are not from the same political party. The rest of the three seats can be occupied by anyone from any political party,” said one of the senior politicians in the country who preferred anonymity. The top five posts in the country comprise Presidency, Senate presidency, Speaker, Chief Justice and the Prime Minister. Article 58 of the Constitution stipulates that; ‘The President of the Republic and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies shall not belong to the same political organisation.’ President Paul Kagame belongs to the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), the Speaker is a member of Liberal Party (PL) while the Prime Minister is from the Social Democratic Party (PSD). “One way of choosing a candidate is to look at their academic qualifications, then you narrow it down to political experience. But this shouldn’t necessarily mean that the person you zero down on will automatically vie for the post,” explained the politician. He added; “The post of Senate president is big and requires not only experience and academic qualifications. It requires a person of integrity and character tops the rest of the criteria in sourcing a best candidate.” Looking at members’ profiles, out of the 25 likely contenders for the post, six are PhD holders. They are, Emmanuel Bajyana, Tito Rutaremara, Jean-Damascène Bizimana, Chrysologue Karangwa, Laurent Nkusi and Céléstin Sebuhoro. Some of these have previously occupied higher political offices or have done some seemingly political assignments. WHO ARE THEY? Tito RutaremaraA former Secretary General of the ruling RPF, Rutaremara was an MP in the transition Parliament between 1994 and 2000. He was later tasked with chairing a commission that drafted the 2003 Constitution and then made the Chief Ombudsman between 2003 and 2011. Jean-Damascène BizimanaBizimana, on the other hand, was a member of the National Commission of Inquiry into the role of France in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi between 2005 and 2007. He was later appointed the vice-president of the National Commission of Inquiry into the plane crash that claimed the life of former President Juvénal Habyarimana between 2007 and 2009. Chrysologue KarangwaHe came into the limelight when he became the chairman of the National Electoral Commission that presided over the 2010 presidential election. Laurent NkusiHe was a former Minister for Information in Prime Minister’s Office. Emmanuel BajyanaHe was an advisor in the President’s Office in charge of Social Affairs. However, analysts say Senator Bernard Makuza also stands a chance because of his previous job as the Prime Minister – a post he held for ten years – and the fact that he is the first vice-president of the Senate and the interim leader currently. “The reason why someone’s character matters a lot is because being a Senate President comes with more responsibilities than those of other senators. This is why members have 30 days to make a critical review of each other,” the politician who once served as a senator, told The New Times. Meanwhile, former senators believe the principle of power sharing should be considered while electing a new senate president. “There are very many things to consider including an individual’s character, his/her performance, leadership abilities as well as other considerations, including political dimensions like power sharing in the context of nation building,” said former Senator Immaculee Kayumba Gahima. Another former senator, Stéphanie Mukantagara, said members have to put into consideration legal requirement while electing their leader and pointed out that it is equally important to elect one with more political experience. Sitting senators are of the view that the next Senate president should be one with outstanding ability in performance and inter-personal relations. “There are basic principles stipulated by the law that every senator has but the best candidate for the job should be a team leader, someone who consults colleagues and puts national interests above self,” said Sen. Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba. She, however, added that members are yet to express interest in the job since the previous president has just stepped down. For Sen. Zephyrin Kalimba, the post should go to someone committed to transforming people’s lives. “In this particular case, individual character matters a lot and my vote will go to a candidate who is sensitive to people’s problems especially the needy,” Kalimba said. Senators will have to vote for a replacement of Ntawukuriryayo before mid next month. Ntawukuliryayo’s resignation was prompted by a petition demanding that the Senate be recalled from recess to discuss a list of concerns pertaining to his leadership style. During the session, Rutaremara, who is in charge of discipline in the Senate, outlined some of the alleged offenses that irked members of the Upper House. They include; taking unilateral decisions, sidestepping the Bureau (the Senate’s supreme organ, comprising the president and his two deputies), interfering in administrative matters such as recruitment of staff and not presiding over the sittings and activities of the Bureau and the Committee for Chairpersons as required. Senators also accused Ntawukuliryayo of breaching several provisions in the Upper House’s internal rules and regulations, including interference with a Parliamentary audit exercise. Article 18 of the organic law establishing internal rules of the Senate partly stipulates that within 30 days from the adoption by the Senate of vacation of the offices of all members of the Bureau, two or one of them, a sitting devoted to replacing all, two or one member of the Bureau shall be convened and presided over by the President of the Republic who shall also supervise the election. “The person elected to replace a member who has been removed from the Bureau shall complete the remaining term of the replaced member,” reads the article.

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Who will be the next Senate president?