Rwanda’s ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), on Sunday elected its first woman vice-chairperson as President Paul Kagame retained the chairmanship position.
Consolee Uwimana was elected by 1,945 votes – about 93 per cent of the votes cast.
Observers say promoting her is the party’s way of giving more power to women and keeping the ethnicity quota balanced in its top leadership. Ms Uwimana is a veteran banker and businesswoman who served as a senator until 2019.
Rwanda’s next general election is scheduled for 2024. President Kagame has been president of the East African nation since 2000. A controversial referendum in 2015 removed a two-term constitutional limit for presidents.
On Sunday, Mr Kagame got 99.8 per cent of the total votes to retain leadership of the ruling party. Rwanda has one of the world’s highest proportions of women in Parliament and government
She replaces Christophe Bazivamo who has been occupying the post since 2002. Of the 2102 votes casted, Uwimana got 1945, representing 92.7 per cent. Ms Uwimana served in Rwanda’s second senate between 2003 and 2013.
During that time, she served in different capacities, including being the vice chairperson senatorial Standing Committee on Economic Development and Finance. She was also elected the secretary general of Rwanda Women Parliamentarian Forum (FFRP).
While in senate, Ms Uwimana also led the senatorial Ad Hoc Committee on monitoring the Government development programmes made towards some Rwandans historically marginalised. She is an entrepreneur and a veteran banker. —BBC
