The Senate Bureau, Wednesday, appointed Senator Gallican Niyongana to represent Rwanda at the Pan African Parliament (PAP), replacing Augustine Iyamuremye, whose term of office came to an end early this month.

Announcing the appointment, Senate president, Dr Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, said that Rwanda has five permanent seats in PAP which are occupied by MPs from the major political parties recognized in Rwanda.

"It is in this context that we nominated Niyongana to replace Iyamuremye since they are both members of the Social Democratic Party (PSD),” said Ntawukuriryayo, who is also a PSD member.

The country’s representation at the PAP is such that the Senate fronts two members, with the other three members coming from the Chamber of Deputies.

"Niyongana joins Senator Agnes Mukabaranga (PDC) who has been a PAP member since 2003 when she was still a member of the Chamber of Deputies,” added Ntawukuriryayo.

Mukabaranga was later appointed by the President to the Senate. Her switch from the Lower to the Upper Chamber of Parliament meant that the Senate acquired a third seat at the PAP, while the Chamber of Deputies lost one slot.

At that time, Mukabaranga joined former senators Prosper Higiro (PL) and Iyamuremye to represent the Senate at PAP.

Now, with both Higiro and Iyamuremye out of the Senate, the chamber decided to pick just one person in addition to Mukabaranga to represent it at the PAP, effectively reinstating the agreed formula, with the third slot back to the Lower Chamber.

"The Chamber of Deputies will now go ahead and appoint the country’s fifth representative to the PAP, thereby raising their representation to three as previously agreed,” said Ntawukuriryayo.

In the Lower Chamber, deputies Juliana Kantengwa (RPF) and Tharcisse Shamakokera (RPF) are the other members of the Pan African Parliament.

The new entrant to PAP, Niyongana, 44, holds a Bachelors in Education.

Meanwhile, the Senate also appointed an ad hoc committee that would follow up the ongoing study the principles of senatorial dialogue and the consensus building.

Ends