Rwanda: Ruling RPF assured of victory

A week after campaigns for the parliamentary elections slated for later this month took off, the coalition led by the ruling party, Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) is optimistic to win.Having launched the campaign in a colourful ceremony ,RPF Chairman President Paul Kagame said that chievements recorded by the party so far should be proof enough to show the commitment by the country’s leaders to develop the country and so win another term in office.He cited such milestones as women’s emancipation, education for all Rwandan citizens, equitable justice and universal health access.“We have not met all the pledges we made in the 2003 manifesto but all of them will be met by 2010,” President Kagame told the rally at the launch of the campaigns.President Kagame is currently serving his first seven-year term after being elected to the highest office of the land in 2003. The second multi-party presidential elections will be held in 2010.Rwanda’s parliament consists of the chamber of deputies and the Senate. The September 15 election will see 53 Members of Parliament, the Deputies, being voted in. Others to be elected to the 80-member chamber include 24 female members elected by provincial councils, two by the National Youth Council and one by the Federation of the Associations of the Disabled.The National Electoral Commission (NEC) last week identified two officially recognised opposition political parties that have already presented candidates for the polls. While the Social Democratic Party (PSD) has presented a list of 64 candidates, the Liberal Party (PL) has submitted 62 candidates.The RPF has a list of 80 candidates out of whom 14 are drawn from five other minority political parties. According to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) the campaigns would take 20 days until September 13.