The 2024 elections meant to decide Rwanda's next Head of State, and Members of Parliament (MPs) kicked off on July 14 with members of the Rwandan community abroad (the diaspora) casting their vote. According to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), the presidential and parliamentary elections will conclude on 16 July. Voting starts at 7 am and closes at 3 pm, NEC indicated, adding that a registered voter must carry his/her identity card to be allowed to cast a ballot. ALSO READ: A look at Rwanda’s three presidential candidates For parliamentary elections, 589 candidates are vying for the 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Timeline: July 14 Election of the president of Rwanda, and 53 MPs representing political parties and independent candidates, by the Rwandan community living abroad. July 15 Presidential election and parliamentary election of 53 MPs representing political parties and independent candidates in Rwanda. July 16 Election of 24 female MPs by the electoral college as per Rwanda's governance structure, two youth MPs by the National Youth Council, and one MP by the National Council of People with Disabilities. ALSO READ: Over 1,000 observers accredited for Rwanda’s elections A 2023 Presidential Order relating to elections of the President and Deputies, provides that the electoral constituency for 24 female Deputies (MPs) elected by specific organs in accordance with the national administrative entities, is each province – there are four provinces currently – and the City of Kigali. Regarding composition, it indicates that the electoral college consists of members of the Executive Committee of National Women Council from the village level to the national level; and members of Sector Councils of the electoral constituency; Members of Councils of Districts of the Province, or members of the Council of the City of Kigali. Electoral college for the two Deputies (MPs) representing the youth consists of the Executive Committee of the National Youth Council at the level of each District and at national level. Electoral college for one MP representing people with disabilities consists of members of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities at district, province and the City of Kigali, as well as national levels; and the Coordinator of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities at each Sector level. Vote tallying There will be 30 tallying centres equivalent to the number of Rwanda's districts, according to information from NEC. They will be consolidating votes from polling stations, and send the tallies to national level for the overall count [by NEC]. Announcement of election results According to NEC, the partial results of the presidential elections will be announced on July 15 (at night), while the provisional parliamentary results will be announced on July 16 (afternoon). On July 16 (evening), it is expected NEC will announce preliminary results of the parliamentary elections for special interest group categories. The announcement of provisional results for both the presidential and parliamentary elections is expected not later than July 20, while final results for both the presidential and parliamentary elections will be released not later than July 27, as per NEC.
