Leaders of political parties have told senators that they want presidential term limits scrapped from the Constitution to allow people choose a leader of their choice.

A team of senators led by Tito Rutaremara, yesterday, met leaders of political parties registered in the country as part of the ongoing consultations to hear views on public petitions to amend Article 101 of the Constitution and do away with presidential term limits.

Scrapping the term limits from the constitution would require a national referendum to vote on it. Millions of Rwandans have petitioned Parliament calling for removal of any legal hurdles to their wish of having President Paul Kagame stand for re-election after his second term ends in 2017.

Most leaders of political parties told the senatorial team that they support people’s wish to amend Article 101 and scrap presidential term limits because nothing should limit people from choosing their leader.

Article 101 of the Constitution limits the head of state to a maximum two seven-year terms and many Rwandans say that in maintaining the status quo, they would forsake President Kagame’s leadership, which they maintain is still valued owing to his track record.

During the consultations, it emerged that nine out of 11 political parties are in favour of scrapping term limits, leaving only the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda in support of maintaining the term limits, while PS-Imberakuri is undecided on the issue.

Among the supporters of scrapping term limits are members of the Ideal Democratic Party (PDI) led by Sheikh Musa Fazil Harelimana.

"The people are the ones to choose their leadership through elections and the Constitution should not deny anyone a chance to lead,” Harelimana told senators as he argued in support of amending the Constitution.

"We need Article 101 amended so that we can be a democracy where the people choose their leaders and whoever is chosen by the people becomes their leader,” said Harelimana, who is also the Minister for Internal Security.

The Secretary-General of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Olivier Nduhungirehe, agreed with Harelimana, arguing that "democracy and power are based on the will of the people.”

"It’s important that we respect people’s right to vote their leaders,” he said.

The Secretary-General of the ruling party RPF-Inkotanyi, François Ngarambe, said that his party is in support of people’s wishes to amend article 101 of the Constitution because the people’s will supersedes everything else."We can’t ignore the wishes Rwandans. When you are a political party, you have to respect people’s wishes, especially when they are within the law. Nothing can be above people’s wish,” he said.

Over 3.7 million Rwandans, constituting at least 60 per cent of the electorate, submitted to Parliament written petitions, asking the lawmakers to initiate the process that would lead up to the amendment of the Constitution.

The Secretary General of the Liberal Party (PL), Dr Odette Nyiramirimo, said "the reason PL members made a petition to Parliament requesting the amendment of Article 101 of the Constitution is because Rwanda has exceptional leadership under President Kagame and that he deserves a chance to be among the country’s leaders beyond 2017.”

‘No to third term’

But Frank Habineza, the chairperson of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, did not agree with other party leaders, arguing that Article 101 should be maintained to enable a healthy succession in power.

Also, most political parties also said that a mandate of seven years be maintained for the head of state but leaders of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Democratic Union of the Rwanda People asked for the mandate to be reduced to five years.

The Green Party also asked for the mandate of the head of state to be reduced to five years on top of maintaining a two-term limit.

The senators will include ideas collected from leaders of political parties into their reports from the countrywide consultations, which will be tabled in Parliament and legislators subsequently asked to vote on whether they approve the idea to change article 101 of the Constitution.

If approved, the electoral commission will be asked to organise a referendum for Rwandans to vote on whether or not to amend Article 101 of the Constitution in accordance with Article 193 of the supreme law.

After the petitions were tabled before Parliament earlier this month, the legislators decided to consult countrywide consultations on the matter.

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