The president of the Green Democratic Party in Rwanda, Dr Frank Habineza, during a dialogue within his party, suggested that the number of MPs in parliament be increased from 80 to 100, an increase of 20 MPs.
Population growth is seen as one of the main reasons for this recommendation from the leader of the Green Party. He believes that the increase in population since 2003 no longer allows deputies to reach all layers of the population of their constituency in order to assert their grievances.
“The reason is simple. In 2003, voters numbered 4 million for a population of around seven million. Since then, the number of voters has increased to 8 million for a population of 12 million. Today, there is a part of the population that MPs neither reach nor visit to collect their grievances. Logically, the Green Party does not want to double the number of parliamentarians. But with modesty, and due to budgetary constraints, we can add at least twenty deputies to the current number of eighty parliamentarians.”
-Frank Habineza
He hoped that the dialogue around this important question could extend to the level of other political parties and other components of the Rwandan population.
The Green Party has also proposed other changes that promote the active participation of each of the eleven political parties that make up the Forum of Political Parties of Rwanda.
“We are approaching local elections where women must reach at least 30% of local elected officials. The current Government of National Union having been set up by the RPF and other political parties, we want local elected officials at cell and sector level to also include at least 30% of elected officials from other political parties. Local elected officials should not belong to a single party in power. We need the participation of elected officials from other parties, and it must be a principle like the one that requires at least 30% of women elected at all levels. Of course, the interests of the population must be privileged. But also that the ideas of other parties are visible at the local level. It is respect for the principle of power-sharing and multipartyism even at the local level, ”declared the president of the Greens.
Mr Frank Habineza also expressed the wish to see the participation of representatives of other political parties in the Election Commission so that they participate in the elaboration of the electoral law. According to him, the participation of representatives of political parties will play an important role in the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.
It should be noted that even if the Constitution of the country authorizes a multiparty system, there is however no real opposition in Rwanda, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) of Mr Kagame controls the political spheres with an iron fist, social and economic. The Green Democratic Party is the only opposition party that is tolerated to function officially across the country.
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