As the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections draw closer, activity is continuing to rise on the side of political parties in preparation of the polls. So far, only one political party - Green Party, has presented one aspirant who will contest for the presidential seat, while others are working out the way forward in regards to the positions they want to vie for and the candidates they will present. ALSO READ: We are ready to go – NEC boss on upcoming Presidential, Parliamentary elections In an interview with The New Times, Pie Nizeyimana, the spokesperson of the Forum for Political Parties said the parties’ activities in the run-up to the elections include having their members trained and equipped with knowledge for such a period, and discussing the candidates they will present in the polls. “Right now, as the forum, we are training various parties’ institutions. We have trained women from various political parties, encouraging them to participate in these elections in various ways including vying for leadership posts,” he said. “We have done such training sessions in Southern and Western provinces and now we are going to Northern Province to train those in charge of discipline in political parties,” he added. ALSO READ: RPF party primaries kick off ahead of July polls Talking about civic engagement, he noted that it has improved in the past couple of years. “Citizens are enthused about voting for their leaders,” he said. “I think we have grown as Rwandans and are able to vote for the leaders of our choice who can take us forward,” he added. ALSO READ: Ten things to know about 2024 presidential, parliamentary elections More about the elections The polls for President and the 53 Deputies (MPs) will be held on the same day for the first time. Rwanda Parliament’s lower chamber consists of 80 MPs – with 27 MPs exclusively coming from women, youth, and people with disabilities. Twenty four female Deputies (MPs) are elected by specific electoral colleges in accordance with national administrative entities, two Deputies are elected by the National Youth Council, and one Deputy elected by the National Council of Persons with Disabilities. The seats for 24 female Deputies elected by specific organs in accordance with the national administrative entities are distributed based on the number of the population of each Province and the City of Kigali. The Northern Province will have four seats; Southern Province, Eastern Province, and Western Province six seats, each; while the City of Kigali will get two seats. The receipt of candidatures is planned from May 13 to 30, 2024, while the publication of provisional eligible candidacies is expected on June 6, 2024, while final eligible candidacies are due for publication on June 14, 2024, as per information from the National Electoral Commission (NEC). An official announcement of provisional election results is expected by July 20, 2024, while the proclamation of final results is due by July 27, 2024, as per information from NEC.
