The ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), and Liberal Party (PL), on May 17, submitted, separately, lists of candidates that they want to represent them in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Parliamentarians will be elected in July during the general elections, according to the calender by the National Electoral Commission (NEC). The two parties were the only political organisations to submit the lists with the electoral body on the first day of the submission window which runs through May 30. ALSO READ: Electoral commission sets date for presidential, parliamentary elections Speaking to journalists, the Secretary-General of PL, Adrien Umuhire, said that the party submitted a list of 54 candidates — consisting 26 women — to represent it in parliamentary elections. “You understand that gender equity principle in decision-making positions was observed,” she said, referring to the representation of women and men in the list. On a manifesto that the party is putting forward, Umuhire said it is based on three fundamental principles which are freedom, justice, and development but are also based on pillars of the leadership of our country, which are economic transformation, social transformation, and transformational governance. “There are many things we want to achieve for Rwandans. For instance, in governance, we are happy with how our country is governed, but also the consensual democracy that our country chose, which we endorse as PL. We are underscoring it and we want Rwandans to have trust in us so that we continue providing support in building our country through electing the right leaders for us, sustaining justice convenient for Rwandans, and envisaging a developed country with an advanced economy in all sectors,” she observed. Meanwhile, Umuhire reiterated PL’s decision to endorse the candidate given by RPF-Inkotanyi – the incumbent President Paul Kagame – for the July presidential polls, instead of fielding its own candidate for the Head of State position. She said that the decision was based on Kagame’s performance that led the country to good governance, and development as evidenced by progress made 30 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was stopped. “We concluded to endorse this candidate who led the struggle to stop the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, this candidate who promoted good governance whereby every Rwandan from where they come from is included in the leadership of this country, where every Rwandan has access to education free from exclusion, where we achieved development in housing, roads, in all sectors,” she said, pointing out that those are the same accomplishments that PL wants.
