MPs end ordinary session, start extra-ordinary session

PARLIAMENT - Parliament on Monday ended its ordinary session but will hurriedly resume business today [Wednesday] in a bid to conclude unfinished business in time for the September 15 parliamentary elections. Legislators now have eight more days until August 15 (when campaigns will supposedly kick off) to wind up unfinished work since campaigns must start at least one month before elections. In the extra-ordinary session, legislators will exclusively struggle to bring to a close several ratifications. The MPs will revisit and wrap up work on the constitutional amendment bill which is back from the Senate Last month, the lawmakers unanimously voted to amend the constitution to grant ex- presidents immunity from prosecution. They will also look again at the Auditor General and Ombudsman’s reports in particular. Before breaking off for a day, MPs on Monday examined and endorsed the basis for four crucial items on the ordinary session’s last day programme. Two of the items were bills authorising ratification of financing agreements between government and the International Development Association (IDA) – an affiliate of the World Bank group that assists poor countries – both signed on July 24. The first is related to a grant of 21,300,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) for Phase Two of the Rural Sector Support Project (RSSP). The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the 1960s to supplement existing official reserves of member countries. This project will be implimented over a four-year period and is expected to be complete by october 2012. It aims at boosting agricultural production and marketing in marshland and hillside areas targeted for development in an environmentally friendly manner. Its components include masrhland and hillside rehabilitation and development, strengthening commodity chains and project support and coordination. The other, linked to a 3,800,000 SDR grant, is additional financing for the competitivenes and enterprise development project that will be implimented over a period of three years. The project’s main objective is to establish an enabling environment for private sector-led economic growth and poverty reduction in the country. Access to credit and financial services, accounting and auditing standards, support to non-bank financial institutions, improvement of payment systems and support to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) of Rwanda are some of its components. Parliament also endorsed the basis for the bill determining the organisation, functioning and jurisdiction of courts in the country. Furthermore, legislators scrutinised the recommendations by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on unity, human rights and fight against genocide over the National Committee on Human Rights 2007 report. Ends