Court says Rusiha duly elected to represent PLWDs

The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that Gaston Rusiha legitimately won the parliamentary seat reserved for persons living with disabilities (PLWDs) in the recently concluded parliamentary poll. Last week, Rusiha’s closest challenger, Severin Gisaza Rwamucyo, petitioned the court, claiming that the former offered money to some College Electorate and engaged in influence peddling to win the polls. He accused Rusiha of using his position as the president of the Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPDs) to win over voters during the September 18 election. Pronouncing the verdict, Chief Justice Sam Rugege said Rwamucyo’s claims, including an allegation that Rusiha paid, by cheque, Rwf500,000 to the Electoral College, were not backed by empirical evidence. “The court finds the evidence presented lacking and cannot help prove anything. In addition, the burden of proof lies on the accuser and when he fails to do so, he loses,” pronounced Prof. Rugege, who led a nine-person panel of justices who heard the case. Prof. Rugege said the plaintiff’s case was baseless and that the poll for PLWDs cannot be annulled as he had requested. The Supreme Court’s decision is final. Rusiha and Rwamucyo were among 15 candidates in the running for the Chamber of Deputies seat voted for by an Electoral College of PLWDs that comprised 241 voters. Rusiha obtained 100 votes (41.84 per cent) and Rwamucyo 63 votes (26.36 per cent). Last week, the National Electoral Commission, declared Rusiha winner of the contest but did not include his name in the list of the MPs-elect unveiled during the announcement of the final results Friday. Following the ruling, the Executive Secretary of the National Electoral Commission, Charles Munyaneza told The New Times that they would issue a communiqué today, confirming Rusiha as an MP-elect.