Rwanda votes in Senate elections
Rwandans went to the polls Monday to elect members of the Senate, the upper chamber of Rwandan parliament.
Polling opened at 9am local time and will close at 1pm at 28 polling stations across the country, according to the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
Charles Munyaneza, the NEC executive secretary said voters will elect 12 senators from the national capital of Kigali and provinces on Monday, while public and private universities will vote their representative each on Tuesday.
“In every district there is a polling station. At least 160 observers were accredited to monitor the election,” he told reporters.
He added that preliminary results are expected to be announced late Monday.
A total of 32 candidates were nominated for the elections.
Three-week campaigns ended on Friday for candidates to rally members of the electoral college.
The electoral college for the senators is composed of sector 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.
The Rwandan Senate is composed of 26 seats, including 14 lawmakers elected by electoral colleges from the capital Kigali, provinces, and higher learning institutions, eight appointed by the president, and four from the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations.
Public and private universities each have one seat in the Senate.
To be eligible for the Senate elections, one must be aged at least 40, and have a minimum academic qualification of a university degree.
