Frank Habineza, the chairperson of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, on May 20, submitted his candidature for the July presidential elections to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), becoming the second aspirant to submit his candidature for the July polls after Paul Kagame submitted his on May 17 as flag-bearer of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi).

Habineza said: "What we are putting forward is to have a better country, where we have food security; where any Rwandan is certain of food and no one goes hungry, without having to import food, and have ample security.”

Habineza envisions tackling unemployment which, he said, stands at 22 per cent among Rwandan youth.

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His file, however, lacked a letter applying for submitting a candidature and proof that he has no other nationality apart from Rwandan nationality, according to NEC Chairperson Oda Gasinzigwa.

Habineza said that he had Swedish nationality but gave it up in 2017, the first time he campaigned for the presidency.

For him, since he had given that document to NEC during the 2017 presidential electoral period, he said, he thought he would not have to submit it again.

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Gasinzigwa said that the law governing elections allows that he can file the missing requirements during the provided for period. Habineza said that since NEC informed him that he can still bring the documents in question, there is no problem.

The deadline for submitting candidatures is May 30.

It is expected that NEC will announce the final list of candidates on June 14.

Elections for the President and lawmakers are set to be held on the same dates.

The polling date for the President and 53 MPs elected from a final list of names of candidates proposed by political organisations, or for independent candidates, is July 15, while it is expected that the diaspora will vote on July 14.