The Social Democratic Party (PSD) on Monday, May 20, submitted to the National Electoral Commission a list of 66 candidates — 29 women and 37 men — it wants to represent it in parliamentary elections in July.

While submitting the list, PSD Secretary-General Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze underscored that justice and development are critical in the party’s work.

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Ngabitsinze said that the selection of candidates starts at district level where party members have to fulfill established requirements. He noted that the party set up a special committee that checks the documents and identifies people who meet the conditions, as well as determine how the names of the candidates should follow one another on the list.

Later, the preliminary list is forwarded to the party’s executive committee and the political bureau. He indicated that the political bureau approved the list on May 19.

"We assure Rwandans that PSD cares for all Rwandans’ access to welfare, justice, solidarity, as well as development. It is the same agenda that we maintain. What we were striving for was ensuring that every Rwandan enjoys freedom in our country, and that has been achieved,” he said.

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He said that PSD participated in all elections held in the country since the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi until now, pointing out that progress was made in terms of development.

"This means that what Rwandans should expect from us is that we continue to put efforts in good national programmes. We strongly support the candidate that PSD endorsed for the presidency, Paul Kagame, because we realise that he is the right one for Rwandans as of now, even based on the manifesto or what PSD wants to do for Rwandans,” he said.

The party, he reiterated, encourages Rwandans to vote for Kagame as President and the PSD candidates for parliamentary positions. Ngabitsinze noted that getting represented in in parliament is important because that is where many ideas are passed, through enacting laws, as well as oversight of government activities.

His party became the third political organisation to have filed a list of candidates for the parliamentary polls, after the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF Inkotanyi), and Liberal Party (PL).