Constitution of Rwanda
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| This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Rwanda |
The Constitution of Rwanda was adopted by referendum on May 26, 2003. It replaced the older Constitution of 1991.
The Constitution provides for a presidential system of government, with separation of powers between the three branches. It condemns the Rwandan Genocide in the preamble, expressing hope for reconciliation and prosperity.
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History [edit]
Between 1994 and 2003 Rwanda was governed by a set of documents combining President Habyarimana's 1991 Constitution, the Arusha Accords, and some additional protocols introduced by the transitional government.[1] As required by the Accords, Kagame set up a Constitutional Commission to draft a new permanent Constitution.[2] The Constitution was required to adhere to a set of fundamental principles including equitable power sharing and democracy.[3] The Commission sought to ensure that the draft Constitution was "home-grown", relevant to Rwanda's specific needs and reflected the views of the entire population; they sent questionnaires to civil groups across the country and rejected offers of help from the international community, except for financial assistance.[4]
The draft constitution was released in 2003; it was approved by the Parliament, and was then put to a referendum in May of that year.[5] The government gave the referendum a high profile, which meant that ultimately 95% of eligible adults registered to vote and the turnout on voting day was 87%.[6] The constitution was overwhelmingly accepted, with 93% voting in favour.[6]
Overview [edit]
The constitution provides for a two house parliament, an elected President serving seven year terms, and multi-party politics.[6] The constitution also sought to prevent Hutu or Tutsi hegemony over political power.[6] Article 54 states that "political organizations are prohibited from basing themselves on race, ethnic group, tribe, clan, region, sex, religion or any other division which may give rise to discrimination".[7] According to Human Rights Watch, this clause along with later laws enacted by Parliament effectively make Rwanda a one-party state, as "under the guise of preventing another genocide, the government displays a marked intolerance of the most basic forms of dissent".[8]
Notes [edit]
- ^ Gasamagera 2007, pp. 1–2.
- ^ Gasamagera 2007, p. 3.
- ^ Gasamagera 2007, p. 4.
- ^ Gasamagera 2007, p. 5–6.
- ^ BBC News 2003.
- ^ a b c d Economist 2003.
- ^ CJCR 2003, article 54.
- ^ Roth 2009.
References [edit]
- BBC News (2003-05-26). "Rwanda votes on constitution". Retrieved 2013-02-08.
- Commission Juridique Et Constitutionnelle Du Rwanda (CJCR) (2003-05-26). "Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda". Archived from the original on 2009-03-25. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- Economist (2003-05-29). "Rwanda's new constitution: The fear of majority rule". Retrieved 2013-02-08.
- Gasamagera, Wellars (2007-06-22). "The Constitution Making Process in Rwanda: Lessons to be Learned". 7th Global Forum for Reinventing Government, Vienna, Austria, 26-29 June 2007. United Nations. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
- Roth, Kenneth (2009-04-11). "The power of horror in Rwanda". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
External links [edit]
- Constitution of Rwanda Archived from the original on 2009-03-25
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