Image Credit: Tendai Marima
Author: Fatma Tawfik
In Rwanda’s July 2024 elections, voters once again renewed their trust in women members of parliament (MPs), electing 51 (63.8%) women to the House of Deputies out of a total of 675 candidates. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s global rankings of women’s parliamentary representation, these results keep Rwanda in first place.
Tragedies that Shaped the Future
Between April 7 and July 19, 1994, 100 days shaped Rwanda for decades to come; the Rwandan genocide led to countless deaths, with estimates ranging from 500,000 to 800,000. At least 150,000 women were raped, and hundreds of thousands were killed in these 100 days. In 1996, tragedy continued with the eruption of war between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo due to Hutu extremists fleeing to the DRC; all of this led to the delaying of political and social reform in Rwanda.
Nevertheless, when calamity subsided, Rwanda implemented political reforms meant to empower previously marginalized groups and prevent history from repeating itself. These reforms place women at the forefront of the country's rebuilding.
Political Reforms Place Women at the Forefront
Rwanda’s 2003 Constitution, later revised in 2015, stressed the importance of gender and ethnic equality, mandating 30% reserved seats for women in all decision-making political positions, including in both chambers of parliament.
The constitution also defines Rwanda’s voting system; the country combines direct and indirect elections to elect the House of Deputies (lower house) members. It uses an open-list proportional representation voting system to elect 53 members( 24 women members are elected through an electoral college that includes electors from all of Rwanda’s provinces and the City of Kigali, the National Youth Council will elect two members, and the Federation of the Associations of the Disabled will elect one member.
Several governmental bodies and organizations were also established to empower women’s political, economic, and social equality, eliminate gender-based violence, build women’s capabilities, and monitor the country's progress. These organizations include the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Rwanda Women Parliamentary Forum, National Women’s Councils, The Gender Monitoring Office, National Gender Cluster, Gender Focal Points, and Isange One Stop Centre.
Reforms Show Early Results
The above graph illustrates the impact of the 2003 reserved seat gender quota. Post-gender quota implementation, women’s representation in Rwanda’s House of Deputies jumped from 4% in 1994 to 49% in 2003. The combination of a proportional voting system and a reserved seat gender quota was a key reason for Rwanda’s continued increase in women's representation until it not only ranked first globally in women's representation for the first time in 2003 but also became the first country with a 56% women majority lower house in 2008.
Furthermore, the same quota applies to the cabinet. Women exceeded the quota and achieved a representation of 63.2% in 2014, 50% in 2018, and 41% in the current cabinet.
Despite its extraordinary ranking regarding women’s political representation and the country’s rank of 39th in the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Index, it is considered “Not Free” by Freedom House. It scores eight out of 40 in political freedom and 15 out of 60 in Civil Liberties. Scores include a weighted analysis of the electoral process, participation in and functioning of government, and freedom of expression.
Rwanda’s poor freedom ranking highlights that women’s representation must go beyond numbers to ensure true equality. The Rwandan parliament ought to address these political and civil liberty issues if it is to continue on its path to a fair and representative government.
Rwanda's 2024 Elections Maintain Political Parity
On July 15, 2024, over eight million Rwandan voters went to the polls to elect the country’s next president and parliament. The presidential election candidates included one woman, Diane Shima Rwigara, out of nine candidates, but the country ultimately reelected Paul Kagame to a fourth term.
Nevertheless, women fared well in parliamentary elections. Over 200 women candidates ran for 80 parliamentary seats: 51 women won seats, making the House of Deputies a women-majority chamber with nearly 64% women MPs.
These results are no surprise– women running for political office has become a norm in Rwanda, largely due to the consistent enforcement of a 30% reserved seat gender quota. But, progress in Rwanda has resulted from more than the mandate. Rwanda achieved double the percentage set by the quota due to the collective political will and acknowledgment of women’s critical role in decision-making bodies from political parties, government, organizations, and citizens.
In sum, Rwanda’s results come with an increased responsibility to achieve Rwanda’s 2050 vision of moving away from previous norms and continuing its record-breaking success in advancing gender equality, promoting women's empowerment, and achieving prosperity for all Rwandan citizens.
Fatma Tawfik is the International Research Manager at RepresentWomen.