The President of Social Democratic Party (PSD), Dr Vincent Biruta, appealed to the electorate, on July 13, to vote its parliamentary candidates so that they secure seats in the Chamber of Deputies for the party to be able to execute its transformational ideas for the welfare of Rwandans and the country's development. He was speaking during the conclusion of the party's electoral campaign at Club Rafiki in Nyamirambo, Nyarugenge – a campaign that began on June 22 in Bugesera District. ALSO READ: PSD says to strive for matching pension with cost of living The party, he said, wants to garner votes for its 59 parliamentary candidates so that they become lawmakers, and the re-election of the incumbent President Paul Kagame as Rwanda's Head of State during the July 14-15 polls. Both the President of Rwanda, and Members of Parliament in the Chamber of Deputies will serve for a five-year term – from 2024 through 2029. ALSO READ: PSD pushes for tax exemption for people earning Rwf100,000 a month Voting for Kagame, Biruta said, is the way to sustain the achieved gains, and to take another step in the development and social welfare for all Rwandans. People’s well-being, democracy and solidarity constitute the gaol that PSD wants to achieve, he observed. Political parties, he pointed out, exist to provide ideas, and guidance for the country to be well-governed and develop. PSD as a political party has been playing its role in this regard, he said, indicating that is why it has been well represented in all sectors, be it parliament, government, or local government, among others. “PSD is always there because Rwandans appreciate PSD’s ideas,” he said. It is the same case for the 2024 elections, Biruta said, indicating that the party has 60 ideas [pledges] grouped in three important pillars – political affairs, governance and justice; economic development; and social welfare – which will guide PSD’s work in different sectors where the party will be represented by its members “so that they are implemented and benefit all Rwandans.” We also want [you] to vote our parliamentary candidates in large numbers so that we have an adequate number [of MPs] in parliament which can enable our ideas to get a channel [for implementation],” he told the electorate. ALSO READ: Why PSD pledges special industrial zones for agricultural produce By electing the President, and Members of Parliament, he said, it is understandable that the party will also be represented by some of its members in the Cabinet. Those are the channels through which the party will implement its ideas, he observed. The ideas the party is putting forward include pushing for the creation of a financial institution – agriculture bank – to provide relatively cheap loans to farmers at less than 10 per cent interest rate per year. ALSO READ: PSD advocates for lower interest on loans to attract more investments in agriculture This is meant to enable farmers to get financing tailored to their needs and the growth of the agricultural and livestock sector. “It is something we know is practical because we well know that agriculture is a pillar of our country’s economy, and we encourage people to invest in it,” he said. “Investing in agriculture requires that such a sector is not treated as a usual business consisting in bulk buying and retailing. That is why we say that there should be established a mechanism by which those who want to venture into agriculture can be facilitated through access to loans at affordable interest rates which can make them get returns on their investments and their activities yield the results we want,” Biruta said.
