Olivia Mbabazi, 42, secured a seat in parliament to represent persons with disabilities, after winning 59.90 per cent of the 146 votes from her electoral college, according to the provisional results of the July 14-16 parliamentary elections announced by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) on Thursday, July 18. The university lecturer defeated 12 other candidates who were vying for the one seat. She will replace Eugène Mussolini who was elected in September 2018. ALSO READ: Kagame secures 99.18%, ruling party coalition grabs 68.83% parliamentary majority The electoral college deciding who becomes the MP representing people with disabilities consists of members of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) at the district, province and the City of Kigali, as well as national levels, and the NCPD coordinator at each sector. Mbabazi holds a master’s degree in business administration and is an assistant lecturer at the University of Rwanda. ALSO READ: Umuhoza, Icyitegetse are the new youth MPs Meanwhile, President-elect Paul Kagame secured an astounding 99.18 per cent of the presidential vote, while his closest rival, Frank Habineza of Democratic Green Party, managed only 0.50 per cent of the vote, and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana trailed with 0.32 per cent, according to the provisional results. The National Electoral Commission on July 18 also announced provisional election results for lawmakers representing special interest groups; women, youth, and people with disabilities, as well as 24 MPs to represent women in Parliament. The electoral commission will release final results for presidential and parliamentary elections not later than July 27.
