The election on Monday, January 9, of François-Xavier Kalinda as new senate president is hailed as yet another decision cementing the principle of equitable power sharing that is enshrined in the Rwandan Constitution.

Kalinda, 60, was appointed a senator on January 6, replacing Dr Augustin Iyamuremye who resigned earlier in December due to illness.

Like Iyamuremye, Kalinda comes from the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

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Four out of the five senate presidents Rwanda has had since 2003 come from PSD.

Apart from Bernard Makuza (October 2014- October 2019) who was an independent, all the other four are from PSD: Vincent Biruta (August 2003–August 2011), Jean-Damascène Ntawukuriryayo (October 2011–October 2014), Augustin Iyamuremye (October 2019–December 2022) and François-Xavier Kalinda (January 2023–incumbent).

Sen. Alvera Mukabaramba, one of the two vice presidents of the senate, said that power sharing has made a difference in Rwanda’s governance.

"Power sharing is very crucial in Rwanda’s governance. In countries where power sharing is not practiced, it can even lead to conflict or people will be discontented,” she said.

"Power sharing has made the major difference between the RPF leadership and that of the previous two republics, where there was one-party rule and leaders tended to come from the president’s place of birth.

Equitable power sharing and women empowerment, Mukabaramba noted, have been the game-changer in Rwanda "because they also included the representation of a bigger part of the population.”

But Mukabaramba believes that the election of Kalinda was not necessarily based on the fact that he hails from PSD.

"Although senators come from different political organisations, when we are in parliament, we don't see ourselves in the lenses of the parties,” she said.

What does the Constitution say?

"Except for the position of the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, who, according to the Constitution, does not come from the same political party as the President of the Republic, for that of the Senate President, there is no condition,” explains Tom Mulisa, a lawyer and lecturer at the University of Rwanda.

The incumbent Speaker of Parliament, Donatille Mukabalisa, comes from the Liberal Party (PL).

President Paul Kagame comes from the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF).

"For the Senate President’s position, anyone can be elected. Senators elect a competent person without basing on the political party he or she comes from.”

Article 10 of the Rwandan Constitution determines fundamental principles including equitable power sharing and consensus.

"The practice may be looked at from the perspective of the equitable power sharing principle, because that is the spirit in which our country is governed,” Mulisa said.

What inspired power sharing

The principle of equitable power sharing comes from the Arusha peace talks between the RPF and the government of Juvenal Habyarimana.

It is one of the six fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution.

"In the Constitution, some of the principles which were drawn from the Arusha talks include building a state governed by the rule of law and equitable power sharing,” said former Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Amb Polisi Denis.

"Having equitable power sharing as a fundamental principle in the Constitution is very important. It means that Rwandans have to share power without exclusion,” he said.

"When power sharing was instituted, it was in contrast to what happened in the past because it was only the MRND of Habyarimana that governed. So, after elections, power is shared in proportion to the election results.”

The Senate, the upper house of Rwanda’s bicameral Parliament has 26 Senators. Twelve are elected by provincial councils, eight are appointed by the President of the Republic, four are appointed by the Forum of Political Organizations, and two are elected by the staff of the universities – one public, one private.

Polisi added: "But apart from the principles, a person’s personality and competencies are also factored in when the senators are elected.

"Even for the senators who are appointed by the President of the Republic, it is the prerogative of the President to take into consideration all those factors. When he appoints senators, the President also gives consideration to representation of historically marginalised groups, which is also in the spirit of equitable power sharing.”