Rwanda has become the latest country to pick its representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), with the current regional parliament set to complete its term in office in a few days’ time.Six out of the nine elected MPs (representing 66 per cent) are women, with the line-up including five new faces.Those joining EALA for the first time include Caroline Kayonga Rwivanga, Amb. Mathias Harebamungu, Aisha Nyiramana, Clement Musangabatware, and Alodie Iradukunda.Incumbents who will be returning to the Assembly after December 17 include Amb. Fatuma Nyirakobwa Ndangiza, Francine Rutazana, Françoise Uwumukiza, and Alex Bahati.But how does Rwanda pick its EALA representatives?The formula for choosing Rwandan members of EALA follows the principle of inclusivity and consensus democracy that have defined the country’s politics since the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.As such, the nominees that sailed through during Monday’s elections by members of the bi-cameral parliament (Chamber of Deputies and Senate) come from the different key players across the country’s political spectrum, including political parties and special interest groups, namely women, youth and persons with disabilities.Six of the newly elected EALA members represent political parties, with Ndangiza, Harebamungu and Rwivanga fronted by the governing Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), while Nyiramana and Musangabatware are from Social Democratic Party (PSD).PSD is led by Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vincent Biruta.Rutazana stood on the ticket of the Liberal Party (PL), which last week re-elected Speaker Donatille Mukabalisa as its chairperson.Uwumukiza’s bid was sponsored by the National Women Council, while Iradukunda and Bahati were fronted by the National Youth Council and National Council of Persons with Disabilities, respectively.Some 24 individuals had submitted bids for the EALA race.Members of EALA are elected for a five-year term, which can only be renewed once.Rwanda’s Martin Ngoga, the former prosecutor-general who first joined EALA in 2015 and won’t be retaining his seat, has been serving as the Speaker of the 4th Assembly of EALA.The Assembly members are drawn from East African Community (EAC) Partner States.The regional bloc consists of Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
