NORTHERN PROVINCE

MUSANZE — Campaigns for youth and representatives of the disabled in Parliament  kicked off in Musanze District on Wednesday.

Twenty two contenders, among them four women from all area districts, presented their manifestos before the electoral colleges.

At least two youths representatives including one female and one male are expected to be elected. The bid for the seat of the disabled people attracted 12 contenders including one female candidate.

The Electoral College for the disabled includes representatives of associations of people with disabilities. These include among others associations of the deaf and those with visual impairment in the province.

The candidates are expected to traverse all the four provinces and Kigali City. Observers say the choice will be hard to make as the majority of the candidates had convincing manifestos.

Youth economic empowerment, health, security, democracy and the issue of unemployment among the youths took centre stage during the campaigns.

The candidates pledged to support the youth to create their own jobs, promote unity, and develop a culture of competition and excellence among the youths.

Those vying to represent the disabled pledged to support the implementation of the policies protecting the rights of the disabled persons.

They said they would advocate for the setting up of vocational institutions to help the disabled and fight stigma against disabled people.

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