Gertrude Kazarwa is the new Speaker of Parliament. The 59-year-old former senator was elected moments after the inauguration of the 5th Lower House and the swearing-in of Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente. The mandate of Chamber of Deputies lasts five years. Kazarwa was voted by 73 out of 80 Members of the Chamber of Deputies, against Pie Nizeyimana (UDPR) who collected five votes. There were two invalid votes. A lawyer by training, Kazarwa belongs to the Liberal Party (PL). In line with Rwanda's power-sharing principles in governance, the President of the Republic and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies must not come from the same political party. Women comprise 63.75 per cent of the Chamber of Deputies, having held 61 per cent in the fourth Lower House. Kazarwa is the third woman to be the Speaker of the Rwandan Parliament, after her predecessor Donatille Mukabalisa(2013-2024), who also hailed from PL, and Rose Mukantabana (2008-2013). Kazarwa served in the Senate between 2014-2019. She is a holder of an MBA in Finance and Financial Management from Maastricht School of Management, in the Netherlands. She also holds two Bachelor’s Degrees, one in law obtained from University of Lay Adventists of Kigali and another in management from Kigali Independent University. Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana and Beline Uwineza were elected as Vice Speakers in charge of Finance and Administration, and Legal Affairs and Goverment Oversight, respectively.
