Elections in Rwanda

Rwanda's electoral framework is based on the 2023 Constitution, the Organic Law governing elections 2026, election regulations and the law governing the NEC. The NEC is an independent legal entity with administrative, staffing, financial and property autonomy. It organizes and supervises national and local elections and referendums, sets the election calendar, manages voter registration, receives candidacies, provides voter education, accredits observers and announces results. The Supreme Court handles the list of candidates for senators as provided by the Organic Law. The President is elected by direct, universal and secret vote. The election uses one national single-member contest, and the candidate with the highest number of votes wins. If the two leading candidates receive the same number of votes, a second round between them must take place within one month. The presidential mandate lasts five years, and one reelection is allowed. The election takes place 30 to 60 days before the end of the current mandate. A presidential candidate must have Rwandan nationality by origin, hold no other nationality, have a clean record, retain full civil and political rights, be at least 35 years old and reside in Rwanda. A final prison sentence of at least six months excludes a candidate under the stated conditions. The candidate personally submits the presidential candidacy to the NEC after the relevant Presidential Order. The Chamber of Deputies has 80 seats. Fifty-three seats are filled through nationwide direct voting using closed party or coalition lists and proportional representation; the 2024 election applied a 5% threshold. Twenty-four seats are filled by special electoral colleges for women, two for young people and one for persons with disabilities. At least 30% of the chamber must be women. Deputies serve five-year mandates and may be reelected. In the 2024 election, the 53 proportional-representation seats were allocated as follows: the FPR-Inkotanyi coalition received 37, PL five, PSD five, DGPR-Green Party two, PDI two and PS Imberakuri two. The Senate has 26 members selected through several routes rather than one nationwide popular vote. Twelve are elected by specific electoral colleges, eight are appointed by the President, and four are designated by the National Consultative Forum of Political Organisations. One member comes from public higher education and one from private higher education. At least 30% of senators must be women. Senators serve five-year mandates and may be reelected once. Former heads of state may become additional members on request under the applicable rules. A Rwandan citizen may vote from the age of 18 on election day if the person has a domicile or residence in a village or falls within an embassy's jurisdiction. Registration takes place locally during the period set by the NEC. The NEC also provides a self-transfer portal for changing the registered voting location. Rwandan citizens abroad vote through embassies. Voters generally need an identity document or another official proof of nationality. A court-ordered loss of voting rights without rehabilitation or amnesty excludes a person. The stated exclusions also include final convictions for manslaughter or murder, genocide or crimes against humanity, defilement or rape, imprisonment, refugee status and certain temporary situations such as preventive detention, serving a prison sentence, or a mental condition that prevents orderly participation. The NEC does not list an official registration or voting fee on the available election information. The research does not specify the cost of identity documents or travel to a polling station, so those expenses should not be treated as fixed election charges. Registration and voting access therefore depend mainly on citizenship, age, residence or embassy jurisdiction, the registration period and the required proof of identity or nationality. Candidates for local offices must satisfy different requirements. A candidate for a Village Executive Committee must be at least 21 years old and have completed at least six years of primary education. Candidates for a District Council or the City of Kigali Council must also be at least 21 years old. Common documents include an identity document or proof of nationality, a diploma or certificate, two passport photographs and a criminal-record certificate issued no more than six months earlier. Offices such as cabinet member, parliamentarian, judge or prosecutor, governor, police or military officer, intelligence officer and correctional-service officer may be incompatible with candidacy. Presidential candidates may stand through a party, coalition or as independents, while local candidacies follow the applicable local procedure. Campaigning must follow the election rules and NEC instructions. Campaigning in unauthorized places is prohibited. Campaign photographs and text may not use national symbols or party emblems in the prohibited manner. A 2023 amendment provides for at least 20 campaign days, while a Presidential Order sets the presidential campaign timetable at least 90 days before the election. For an election conducted under the 2026 framework, the current NEC instructions control the concrete timetable and campaign requirements. In the 2024 national election, Rwanda had 2,593 polling stations, including 2,433 inside Rwanda. Diaspora voting took place on 14 July 2024, and voting inside Rwanda took place on 15 and 16 July 2024. Each voter has one vote. The ballot must be marked secretly in a voting booth. Taking a photograph of the voter or ballot is prohibited, as are weapons and campaign activities in or near a polling station. Access is limited to authorized people, including voters, a child assisting a voter, NEC or candidate representatives, observers and journalists. Observers may inspect electoral operations and documents but may not enter the voting booth. They must submit their report within 60 days. Polling-station officials count ballots at the station and prepare a statement of results. The NEC collects, verifies and combines the statements before publishing provisional and final official results. A local complaint must be made immediately to the election supervisor, who decides it publicly and records the decision. A late local complaint is inadmissible. Under the 2023 framework, complaints concerning presidential, legislative or national candidacies and results had to be filed within 48 working hours after provisional publication. The 2026 Organic Law replaced the 2019 framework, so the competent body and deadline for a current dispute must be checked against the applicable NEC instruction and current law. A competent court may order correction, annulment or a repeat election. The 2024 presidential register contained 9,071,157 registered voters, and 8,907,876 ballots were cast, representing 98.20% participation. Valid presidential ballots numbered 8,895,739. Paul Kagame received 8,822,794 votes, Habineza 44,479 and Mpayimana 28,466. These figures describe the 2024 election and do not determine later contests. After a presidential election, the President takes the oath within 30 days. The President appoints the Prime Minister within 15 days after the presidential oath and appoints the Cabinet within 15 days after the Prime Minister's appointment. Cabinet composition considers the distribution of seats in the Chamber of Deputies, while the majority organisation may hold no more than 50% of Cabinet positions. The Cabinet is accountable to both the President and Parliament. Local elections scheduled for the end of 2026 cover Umudugudu, Akagari, Umurenge and Akarere, as well as the City of Kigali. Women, youth and persons with disabilities also participate through their national councils. Village, cell and sector representatives use majority voting; a tie leads to one repeat vote and then drawing lots if the tie remains. Under the 2026 reform, District and City of Kigali Council elections use electoral colleges. A Village Executive Committee has five members. Local complaints must be raised immediately before the local election authority.