Politically,

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

is a ''de facto''

one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or en ...

ruled by the

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi; , FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. The RPF was founded in December 1987 by Rwandan Tutsi in exile in Uganda because of the ethnic violence that had occurred during the Rwandan Hutu Revo ...

and its leader

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame ( ; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He was previously a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel armed force which invaded ...

since the end of the 1994 genocide against members of the

Tutsi The Tutsi ( ), also called Watusi, Watutsi or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu languages, Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi ( ...

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

. Although Rwanda is nominally democratic, elections are manipulated in various ways, which include banning opposition parties, arresting or assassinating critics, and

electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...

. Rwandan law developed from Belgian and German civil law systems and customary law takes place in a framework of a

semi-presidential A semi-presidential republic, or dual executive republic, is a republic in which a president exists alongside a prime minister and a cabinet, with the latter two being responsible to the legislature of the state. It differs from a parliamen ...

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

, whereby the

president of Rwanda This article lists the presidents of Rwanda since the creation of the office in 1961 (during the Rwandan Revolution), to the present day. The president of Rwanda is the head of state and head of executive of the Republic of Rwanda. The presi ...

is the

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

with significant

executive power The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...

, with the

prime minister of Rwanda The prime minister of Rwanda is the head of government of the Republic of Rwanda. The prime minister is appointed by the List of presidents of Rwanda, president, along with other ministers in the Cabinet of Rwanda, Cabinet. A total of 11 people ...

being the

constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

head of government In the Executive (government), executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presid ...

Legislative power A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers o ...

is vested in both the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

and the two chambers of parliament, the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

. On 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted a new constitution which included elements of the constitution of 18 June 1991 as well as provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding.

National legislature

the Chamber of Deputies is composed of eighty Deputies. Among them, fifty-three Deputies are elected by direct universal suffrage in secret, elected from a fixed list of names of candidates proposed by political organizations or independent candidates; twenty-four women elected by specific electoral colleges in accordance with the national administrative entities; two Deputies elected by the National Youth Council; one Deputy elected by the National Council of Persons with Disabilities. Senate is composed of twenty six members. Among them, there are twelve Senators elected by the specific councils in accordance with the administrative entities; eight Senators appointed by the President of the Republic; four Senators designated by the National Forum of Political organizations; one Senator elected among lecturers and researchers of Public Universities and higher learning institutions; and one Senator elected among lecturers and researchers of Private Universities and higher learning institutions.

Historical background

After its military victory in July 1994, the

Rwandese Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi; , FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. The RPF was founded in December 1987 by Rwandan Tutsi in exile in Uganda because of the ethnic violence that had occurred during the Rwandan Hutu Revo ...

organized a coalition government similar to that established by President

Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (; ; 8 March 19376 April 1994) was a Rwandan politician and military officer who was the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, his assassination in 1994. H ...

in 1992. Called The Broad Based Government of National Unity, its fundamental law is based on a combination of the constitution, the Arusha accords, and political declarations by the parties. The

MRND The National Revolutionary Movement for Development (, MRND) was the ruling political party of Rwanda from 1975 to 1994 under President Juvénal Habyarimana, running with first Vice President Édouard Karemera. From 1978 to 1991, the MRND was the ...

party was outlawed. Political organizing was banned until 2003. The first post-Genocide of Tutsi, presidential and legislative elections were held in August and September 2003, respectively. The biggest problems facing the government were the reintegration of more than 2 million refugees returning from as long ago as 1959; the end of the

insurgency An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric warfare, asymmetric nature: small irregular forces ...

and

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...

among ex-military and

Interahamwe The Interahamwe ( or ) is a Hutu paramilitary organization active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The Interahamwe was formed around 1990, as the youth wing of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (M ...

militia and the Rwandan Patriotic Army, which is concentrated in the north and south west; and the shift away from crisis to medium- and long-term development planning. The prison population will continue to be an urgent problem for the foreseeable future, having swelled to more than 100,000 in the 3 years after the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

. The government prohibits any form of discrimination by gender, ethnicity, race or religion. The government has passed laws prohibiting emphasis on Hutu or Tutsi identity in most types of political activity.

Political-economical focus

From 2005 to 2010 the political headcount ration on national poverty lines decreased by more than 10 percent and the life expectancy of about 64 years is higher than that of similar Sub-Sahara African countries as well as other low income countries. In 2011, Rwanda's emissions totaled 0.1 metric tons per capita, which was much lower than similar Sub-Sahara African countries as well as other low income countries. Rwanda´s school enrollment rate is much higher than similar Sub-Sahara African countries as well as other low income countries. As of 2014, Rwanda was still considered a low income country with $7.890 billion GDP, based on U.S. dollars, with a total population of 11.34 million people. As of 2015 Rwanda had made a shift towards economic improvement, centralizing its foreign exchange around coffee and tea production, "helping to reduce poverty and inequality". The

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

has praised Rwanda's efforts. Kagame has reached out to large companies, such as

Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2021, Costco is the third-largest retailer in the world, and as of August 2024, Cos ...

and

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

, who as of 2015 were the two largest buyers of Rwandan coffee beans.

Executive branch

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

, 24 March 2000 , - ,

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Édouard Ngirente Édouard Ngirente (born 22 February 1973) is a Rwandan economist and politician. He serves as the Prime Minister of Rwanda, since 30 August 2017, having been appointed by the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. Background and education Édouard N ...

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

, 30 August 2017 The

President of Rwanda This article lists the presidents of Rwanda since the creation of the office in 1961 (during the Rwandan Revolution), to the present day. The president of Rwanda is the head of state and head of executive of the Republic of Rwanda. The presi ...

is elected for a seven-year term by the people. The Prime Minister and the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

are appointed by the president. The president has numerous powers that include creating policy in conjunction with the Cabinet, signing presidential orders, put into effect the prerogative of mercy, negotiating and passing treaties, commanding the armed forces, and declaring war or a state of crisis.

Current Presidential Overview

The current President of Rwanda is Paul Kagame, born in 1957. He is the 6th President of Rwanda and was elected in 2003. In 2007, the former president, Pasteur Bizimungu, was released from prison on a presidential pardon. Kagame was reelected in 2010, receiving 93.1 percent of the votes cast. Since taking office, Kagame has raised business, reduced crime and corruption, and has attracted the likes of many foreign investors. Kagame has not groomed anyone to be his successor, so there is nothing that points to who his successor could or should be. President Paul Kagame and his Rwandan Patriotic Front are the dominant political forces in Rwanda. There is only one registered opposition party and many political opponents have fled into exile. President Kagame received military training in Uganda, Tanzania and the United States. He was a founding member of current Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's rebel army in 1979 and headed its intelligence wing, helping Mr Museveni take power in 1986.

Legislative branch

The

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

(''Inteko Ishinga Amategeko ''or'' Parlement'') has two chambers. The

''(Umutwe w'Abadepite/Chambre des Députés)'' has 80 members, 53 of them elected for a five-year term by

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

with a 5% threshold, 24 (female members) elected by provincial councils, 2 by the National Youth Council and 1 by the Federation of the Associations of the Disabled. It is the only legislative chamber in the world where women (45) outnumber men (35). The

''(Umutwe wa Sena ''or'' Sénat)'' has 26 members elected or appointed for an eight-year term: 12 elected by provincial and sectoral councils, 8 appointed by the president to ensure the representation of historically marginalized communities, 4 by the Forum of political formations and 2 elected by the staff of the universities. Additional former presidents can request to be member of the senate. Rwanda is a

one party dominant state A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a political occurrence in which a single political party continuously dominates election results over running opposition groups or parties. Any ruling party staying in power for more tha ...

with the Rwanda Patriotic Front in power. Opposition

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

are allowed, and are represented in Parliament, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.

Political parties and elections

Judicial branch

The

Supreme Court of Rwanda The Supreme Court of Rwanda is the highest court of Rwanda, as defined by Article 143 of the 2003 Constitution of Rwanda The Constitution of Rwanda was adopted by Rwandan constitutional referendum, 2003, referendum on May 26, 2003. It replaced ...

is the highest judicial power in Rwanda. It and the High Council of the Judiciary oversee the courts of lower ordinary jurisdictions and courts of the special jurisdictions in Rwanda. The Supreme Court consists of the Court President, Vice President, and 12 judges. Established in 2001, the Gacaca Court was established by the National Unity Government to try cases of genocide against the Tutsis. Judges are nominated by the president of the republic, after consulting with the Cabinet and the Superior Council of the Judiciary. They are then approved by the Senate. The court president and vice president are appointed for 8-year nonrenewable terms. With regard to the legal profession, although the Rwanda Bar Association has been in existence since at least 1997, there is no clear indication as to how certain demographic groups, such as women, have fared in the legal field.

Decentralization system

Rwanda is composed of 4

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

and capital city, 30 districts, 416 sectors, 2,148 cells and 14,837 villages. The four provinces, headed by a governor include the Northern, Southern,

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

and the

Western Provinces Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada–Unit ...

. The districts, formerly known as communes, are headed by mayors, two vice mayors, and a district council. As of 2006, Kigali has 3 districts, the Northern Province has 5, the Southern Province has 8, and both the Eastern and Western Provinces have 7 districts. Sectors are responsible for implementing and developing programs which deliver services for the social welfare of the population and promote good governance. Sectors are governed by an Executive Secretary and Sector Council. The council includes representatives of cells; members representing persons with disabilities, women, and youth; members representing all primary and secondary schools; members representing health service organizations; and members representing NGOs and cooperative societies. Cells are administrative providers of public services and development. They are governed by an Executive Secretary and Cell Council, whose membership is similar to that of the Sector Council. Villages are governed by A Village Council, an executive committee, and a village head. The Village council is made up of all residents who are at least 18. The executive committee are elected members who provide services to the community, such as information and training, social welfare, and security.

Key ministers

* President:

* Prime minister: Dr. Edouard Ngirente * Agriculture & animal resources: Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri * Cabinet affairs: Ines Mpambara * Defence: Juvenal Marizamunda * Emergency Management: Maj Gen Albert Murasira * Education: Gaspard Twagirayezu * Family & gender: Dr Valentine Uwamariya * Finance & economic planning:

Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana Doctor is an Academic degree, academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an Agent noun, agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europ ...

* Foreign affairs & co-operation: Dr.

Vincent Biruta Vincent Biruta (born July 19, 1958) is a Rwandan physician and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from November 2019 to June 2024. He previously served in various other positions in the Rwanda ...

* Health: Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana * Infrastructure: Dr. Jimmy Gasore * Internal security: Alfred Gasana * Justice/attorney-general: Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja * Local government: Jean Claude Musabyimana * Natural resources: Amb. Dr. Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya * President's office: Judith Uwizeye * Public service & labour: Prof Jeannette Bayisenge * Sports: Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju * Minister of Youth : Dr. Utumatwishima Jean Nepo Abdallah * Trade & industry: Prof. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze * ICT and Innovation: Paula Ingabire * Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement: Dr. Jean-Damascène Bizimana

Ministers of State

* Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government in charge of Social Affairs: Assumpta Ingabire * Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice in Charge of Constitutional and Legal Affairs: Amb. Solina Nyirahabimana * Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in charge of Economic Planning: Dr. Claudine Uwera * Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in Charge of the National Treasury: Richard Tusabe * Minister of State in the Ministry of Education in charge of Primary and Secondary Education: Gaspard Twagirayezu * Minister of State in the Ministry of Education in Charge of ICT and TVET Education: Irere Claudette * Minister of State in the Ministry of Health in charge of Primary Healthcare: Lt Col Dr. Tharcisse Mpunga * Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in charge of the East African Community: Prof. Manasseh Nshuti * Minister of State of the Ministry of Youth and Culture: Sandrine Umutoni * Minister of State of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources: Prof. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze

Other Cabinet Members

* Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Board: Francis Gatare

International organization participation

Rwanda is member of ACCT, ACP,

AfDB The African Development Bank Group (AfDB, also known as BAD in French) is a multilateral development finance institution, headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and ...

, C, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA,

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

, G-77,

IBRD The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States; it is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers loa ...

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to address poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. It is the only ...

, IFC, IFRCS,

ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...

IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of la ...

Intelsat Intelsat S.A. (formerly Intel-Sat, Intelsat) is a Luxembourgish-American multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons, Virginia, United States. Originally formed ...

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in L ...

, IOM (observer),

ITU The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)In the other common languages of the ITU: * * is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established ...

, NAM,

OPCW The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW; French language, French: ''Organisation pour l'interdiction des armes chimiques'', OIAC) is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation and the implementing b ...

, UN,

UNCTAD UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the United Nations General Assembl ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

UNIDO The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in ...

UPU The Universal Postal Union (UPU, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Be ...

, WCL,

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

WIPO The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to pr ...

, WMO, WToO, WTrO Rwanda joined the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

in 2009, making the country one of only two in the Commonwealth without a British colonial past; the other being the former Portuguese colony

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

References

External links

Official website of the Republic of RwandaOfficial website of the Office of the Prime Minister of Rwanda
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Politics of Rwanda