The Lower Chamber of Parliament approved the relevance of a draft organic law governing elections tabled by the Minister of Local Government, Dominique Habimana, on Wednesday, March 18. All 74 members of parliament present voted in favour of the bill. ALSO READ: What are the 4 key proposed changes to Rwanda's elections law? Extension of by-election timelines A major adjustment in the new draft concerns the timeline for organising by-elections when local leaders vacate office. The required remaining term of office to trigger such an election has been extended from six months to one year. The minister said that it was found that the previous six-month window was too short, particularly when preparation for general elections of local leaders would be already underway. This change aims to reduce administrative pressure during overlapping election processes. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s 2024 elections: A lesson in democracy However, urgency remains in specific scenarios. If two or more elected officials vacate their positions for any reason, rendering majority decision-making impossible, they will still be replaced by election immediately. This provision ensures that local organs can continue functioning effectively regardless of the remaining term length. Alignment of notification deadlines The revision removes inconsistencies between different organic laws regarding how quickly vacancies must be reported to the National Electoral Commission (NEC). Under the existing organic law governing elections, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies had ten days to notify NEC when a Deputy Speaker vacated office. This period has been aligned with the 2024 law determining the functioning of the Chamber of Deputies, which mandates a seven-day notification period. ALSO READ: Parliament starts scrutiny of draft electoral code Similar harmonisation applies to the Senate. The deadline for the President of the Senate to notify NEC of a vacant seat was originally set at ten days in the current election law. This is now adjusted to match the thirty-day period specified in the 2026 law determining the functioning of the Senate. These modifications prevent contradictory regulations between parliamentary standing orders and electoral statutes, Minister Habimana explained. Consolidation of legal provisions Beyond procedural changes, the new legislation consolidates all provisions of the organic law governing elections into a single document. This move facilitates easier access for citizens and officials who require clear understanding of electoral conditions and modalities. It also incorporates recommendations from the National Electoral Commission following its comprehensive evaluation of the 2024 presidential, parliamentary, and senate elections as well as the election of members of the Council of the City of Kigali. To ensure clarity across all future legislation, the draft law aligns with 2022 guidelines on legislative drafting. Articles with multiple paragraphs are now numbered using Arabic numerals enclosed in parentheses, while subparagraphs use lower-case letters. Furthermore, numbers up to ten are written in words within sentences, while figures greater than ten are expressed in digits. This standardisation supports the broader goal of implementing stakeholder recommendations and updating provisions to reflect current realities. Changes to electoral colleges The current organic law determines electoral colleges for elective local organs at the level of districts and the City of Kigali. Under the new bill, these electoral colleges have been removed. Instead, the draft provides that they will be established by a Presidential Order. This change aims to avoid frequent amendments to the Organic Law whenever the composition of electoral colleges needs to be modified.
