On May 20, 2024, in Kigali, Rwanda, Member of Parliament Frank Habineza submitted his candidacy documents for the upcoming presidential election scheduled for July. Representing the Green Party, a political party focused on environmental issues, Habineza is the second candidate to officially submit his papers, following Paul Kagame.
Frank Habineza expressed confidence in performing better in this election compared to previous ones, citing his party’s increased experience. He stated, “In 2017, our party was only four years old. Now, we have matured significantly. Moreover, we have won seats in both the National Assembly and the Senate. I believe we will perform better than we did in 2017.”
As part of his candidacy, Habineza presented documents including a certificate from his party authorizing his representation and proof that he has not been imprisoned. However, he was unable to present a document proving he does not hold any other nationality besides Rwandan. Having previously held Swedish citizenship, Habineza assured the Electoral Commission that he had renounced it and had provided proof during the previous election. Nonetheless, this document must be submitted at any time a candidate runs for office.
Oda Gasinzigwa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, mentioned that Frank Habineza still has the opportunity to provide this document before the final list of candidates is announced.
In the last presidential election held seven years ago, Habineza also ran but received less than one percent of the vote. Despite this, the Green Party has decided to field a candidate once again, even as other recently established parties have declared their support for Paul Kagame of the FPR Inkotanyi.
The presidential election, along with parliamentary elections, is set for July. In addition to candidates nominated by political parties, there are independent candidates who choose to run on their own. However, independent candidates typically face challenges as none have won a presidential election in Rwanda.
