The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has announced Emmanuel Karemera as the replacement of Member of Parliament Logan Ndahiro who died late last month. Ndahiro passed away on October 30 at King Faisal Hospital after battling cancer for some time. A retired Captain with Rwanda Defence Force, Ndahiro had been elected to parliament last year on the ticket of RPF-Inkotanyi. The announcement to replace him was made on Tuesday by the Commission’s Chairperson Kalisa Mbanda after the Commission was officially informed by the Speaker of Parliament about the need to replace the late legislator. Karemera was picked to replace Ndahiro as per the Organic Law N° 001/2019.OL of 29 July 2019 governing elections on the replacement of a deputy. The law states that when a deputy leaves his or her office, the vacated seat devolves upon the person that was next on the list from which he or she was elected, which person serves the remaining term of office if it exceeds one year. During the parliamentary elections held in September last year, RPF-Inkotanyi won 40 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The Chamber has 80 members. The law further states that the Commission must announce to Rwandans the full names of the substitute deputy within seven days from the date when the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies informed it. Therefore, “Karemera, No 42, and the next on the final list of candidates who represented RPF-Inkotanyi and its allied political parties during the parliamentary elections held in September 2018, will replace Mr Logan Ndahiro,” reads a statement signed by Mbanda. Ndahiro is the second legislator to be replaced in the current parliament. The first to be replaced was Janvier Kanyamashuli, who resigned from the House earlier this year, citing personal reasons. He was replaced by Emmanuel Ndoriyobijya, who was number 41 on the 70-person list of candidates of RPF-Inkotanyi and the parties with which they had formed a coalition. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
