Rwanda Election 2024: All you need to know

On July 15, 2024, more than 9 million Rwandans will head to the polls to elect their president and legislators.

The 2024 election will be Rwanda’s fourth presidential and fifth chamber of deputies election since the genocide that claimed the lives of around 800,000 people.

President  Paul Kagame, 66, has been the de facto leader of Rwanda since the end of the genocide in 1994.

He officially became president in 2000 and has won three consecutive elections (2003, 2010, and 2017) with landslide victories, securing over 90% of the votes each time.

In 2015, Paul Kagame led a controversial constitutional amendment that allowed him to bypass the constitutional term limit and possibly stay in power until 2034.

Although Rwanda remains one of the stable economies in Africa, Paul Kagame has been accused of ruling the landlocked country in a climate of fear, stifling dissent and freedom of speech, and committing human rights violations.

The elections are happening at a time when there is rising tension between Rwanda and neighbouring DR Congo. Paul Kagame has accused the Congolese authorities of supporting the Hutu rebels who fled after committing the genocide in 1994.

Mr Kagame has, in turn, been accused by the Congolese officials of sowing chaos in Eastern Congo by supporting rebel forces who have carried out massacres and displaced tens of thousands of people in the country.

Campaign activities are currently underway and are expected to end on July 12.

Rwandan Electoral System

The President of the Republic of Rwanda serves as the Head of State, Government, and Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda Defence Forces.

The president is elected by a simple majority vote and serves a seven-year term. Initially, the constitution limited a president to two terms, but this provision was amended through a referendum in 2015 to allow for a longer tenure, a move that drew international criticism.

Rwanda's Parliament is bicameral, comprising two chambers: the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Both chambers share the main functions and powers of representing the people, passing laws, and overseeing executive action. The Senate, however, has additional responsibilities, including approving the appointment of State officials.

The Senate consists of 26 members, elected and appointed through various channels. Twelve (12) senators are elected by specific councils in accordance with administrative entities, eight (8) are appointed by the president, four (4) are designated by the Forum of Political Organizations, and one (1) each is elected from public and private universities.

The Chamber of Deputies, on the other hand, has 80 members, with fifty-three (53) elected through universal suffrage, twenty-four (24) women elected by specific councils, two (2) members elected by the National Youth Council, and one (1) member elected by the Federation of the Association of the Disabled.

Who are the contestants?

Incumbent President Paul Kagame, leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), is seeking re-election and faces two challengers.

Frank Habineza, a former Journalist and leader of the Democratic Green Party (DGP), is making his second bid for the presidency after running against Kagame in 2017, securing only 0.47%

Philippe Mpayimana, a journalist by profession is also running as an independent candidate.

Some prominent candidates who are thought to be more formidable like Victorie Ingabile and Bernard Ntaganda are barred from running due to criminal convictions. Diane Rwigara, a daughter of Paul Kagame’s former financier who was tipped to cause damage to the RPF was also disqualified by the Electoral Commission due to non-compliant documents.

Who is eligible to contest for president?

To be eligible as a Presidential candidate, a person must:

• Be a citizen of Rwanda by origin
• Have at least one parent of Rwandan Nationality
• Not be sentenced to a prison term of at least six months
• Enjoy all political and civil rights
• Be at least 35 years of age
• Have irreproachable morals and probity
• Be a resident at the time of submitting candidature

Who can vote?

Every Rwandan who resides in Rwanda or abroad is eligible to vote if he or she fulfils the following conditions:

• Attained at least eighteen (18) years of age or attains it on the polling day
• Has registered on the voters’ register
•  Not subjected to disenfranchisement as specified in the electoral law.

Who cannot vote?

Subject to the electoral law, the following persons are prohibited from registering on the votersˊ register:

•  A person who has been deprived of his or her right to vote by competent courts and has not been rehabilitated or has not been granted amnesty in accordance with the Law;
• A person convicted of manslaughter or murder
•  A person convicted of the crime of genocide or crimes against humanity
•  A person who was convicted of defilement 
•  A person convicted of the crime of rape
• A person with or who shows signs of mental illness or any other person who disrupts public order at a polling site 
• A prisoner
• A refugee

How will voting be done?

The Rwanda Electoral Commission has announced that 9.5 million voters, including 2 million first-time voters, are registered to cast their ballots in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

The election will take place over three days. On July 14, Rwandan citizens living abroad will vote at the country's diplomatic missions and embassies.

On July 15, voters in Rwanda will head to the polls to elect their president and 53 of the 80 seats in the lower house of parliament.

The remaining parliamentary seats will be voted on July 16, concluding the election process.

When will the results be declared?

Provisional election results are scheduled to be released on July 20. The final results will be released on July 27, two weeks after voting.