Rwanda

Chamber of Deputies

Political system
Presidential-Parliamentary
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members
80
Women
49
Percentage of women
61.3%

Speaker

Speaker
Donatille Mukabalisa (Female)
Date of birth: 30 Jul 1960
Additional information

Re-elected on 18 Sep. 2018.

Secretary general

Secretary General
Kambanda Jeannine (Female)

Chairs of specialized bodies

Specialized body Theme Name Sex Age
Committee on Political Affairs and Gender Gender equality Furaha Emma Rubagmya Female 56
Committee on Human Rights and the Fight Against Genocide Human rights Veneranda Nyirahirwa Female 53

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2018-10)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 1 8 4 6 7 5 0 0 0 31
Female 0 1 10 16 11 11 0 0 0 0 49
Totals per age interval 0 2 18 20 17 18 5 0 0 0 80
Total <= 45: 40 Total >= 46: 40
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
2.5% 1.3% 1.3%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
25.0% 11% 13.8%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
50.0% 16% 33.8%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Yes
Women
24
Electoral quota for women
Yes

Notes: ‘Twenty four (24) female Deputies shall be elected by specific organs in accordance with national administrative entities. A Presidential Order shall determine a national administrative entity and the number of women Deputies to be elected at each entity. At each entity through which election has been conducted, candidates who obtain more votes shall be considered as elected’ ( https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/gender-quotas )

Sources: Constitution, Title IV, Chapter II, art. 76; Article 109 of Organic Law 03/2010/OL of 18 June 2010 governing presidential and legislative elections

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1981

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
2008

Women’s suffrage

Date of independence
1962
Women’s right to vote
1961
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: Prior to independence, the Legislative Decree of Rwanda - Urundi (L.D.R.U.) N° 02/269, issued by the Belgian administration of the UN Trust territory on 17 August 1961 (and first exercised in the legislative elections on 25 September 1961) granted universal suffrage to women. This right was confirmed at independence when suffrage was granted in the 1962 Constitution.

Women's right to stand for election
1961
Restricted or universal
Restricted
Detail of restrictions
Right to stand for election was granted for all positions except that of President (granted in 1978, in the new constitution)
Women's right to stand for election
1978
Restricted or universal
Universal

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No