Polls close in Rwanda’s Senate elections

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Polls closed Tuesday in Rwanda’s Senate elections and tallying is ongoing, with the final results expected by next week for members of the upper chamber of the Rwandan parliament.

Polling opened Monday for senators from the capital Kigali and Rwanda’s four provinces. Preliminary results showed the majority of the winners are returning for a second term, having served in the outgoing Senate.

The electoral body put voter turnout at 97.02%.

Voting resumed Tuesday with the election of two representatives of public and private universities.

Voter turnout was 82.42% in public universities and 77.08% in private universities.

Charles Munyaneza, the executive secretary of the National Electoral Commission, said voting was smooth and peaceful through the two days.

In every district, there was a polling station.

Some 160 observers were accredited to monitor the election.

At least 32 candidates were vying for 26 seats in the upper chamber of parliament.

Of those, 14 lawmakers are elected by electoral colleges from Kigali, four provinces, and higher learning institutions for a five-year mandate.

Another eight are appointed by the president, while four slots are reserved for the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations.

Three-week campaigns ended last Friday for candidates to rally members of the electoral college.

The electoral college for the senators is composed of local government councilors in the districts, while university representatives are elected by academic and research staff from public and private universities and other institutions of higher learning.

To be eligible for the Senate elections, one must be aged at least 40 and have a minimum academic qualification of a university degree.

This week’s election came after Rwanda held presidential and legislative elections in mid-July in which the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Rwanda’s ruling party, retained its parliamentary majority in the lower chamber of parliament.

Unlike in the lower chamber of parliament, candidates for the Senate do not contest on party tickets.