Rwanda to synchronise presidential, parliamentary polls
The Hindu
At a meeting on Friday chaired by President Paul Kagame, ministers approved his proposal to amend the constitution, “allowing for the harmonisation of parliamentary and presidential election calendars”, it said.
Rwanda's cabinet has decided to synchronise the dates for its parliamentary and presidential elections, the prime minister's office said in a statement.
At a meeting on Friday chaired by President Paul Kagame, ministers approved his proposal to amend the constitution, "allowing for the harmonisation of parliamentary and presidential election calendars", it said.
The polls are now expected to take place in August next year, the date originally set for the presidential election, effectively delaying the parliamentary ballot that had been scheduled for September 2023.
The move - which still needs parliamentary approval - was unveiled in a statement that also confirmed that Kagame critic Paul Rusesabagina's 25-year sentence on terrorism charges had been commuted by presidential order.
Also read: Rwanda says Rusesabagina of “Hotel Rwanda” fame to be freed
Rusesabagina, 68, was released late Friday to the Qatari ambassador's residence in Kigali and he is expected to stay there for a couple of days before flying to Doha and then to the United States, a US official said.
While Rwanda lays claim to being one of the most stable countries in Africa, rights groups accuse Mr. Kagame of ruling in a climate of fear, stifling dissent and free speech.
Several U.S. campuses, taking inspiration from the protests in Columbia, have peacefully escalated their protests, which have also faced repression from respective university administrations. The protests are an escalation of the demonstrations going on in U.S. campuses ever since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip.