Gender Quotas Database
Rwanda
Eastern Africa
Single / Lower House
Chambre des Députés / Chamber of Deputies
| Total seats | 80 |
| Total women | 51 |
| Percentage of women | 64% |
| Gender Quota target | 30% |
| Election year | 2024 |
| Electoral system | List PR |
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Constitution |
Composition of the Chamber of Deputies and election of its members: (1) The Chamber of Deputies is composed of 80 Deputies. They originate and are elected from the following categories: (b) 24 women Deputies elected by specific electoral colleges in accordance with the national administrative entities; (3) At least 30% of Deputies must be women. (Article 75) |
| Electoral law |
Submission of lists of candidates of political organisations or coalition of political organisations. Any political organisation or coalition of political organisations introduces a closed list of its candidates. The closed list comprises a maximum of eighty (80) candidates. At least thirty percent (30%) of candidates on the closed list must be women. (Article 79) Composition of the Chamber of Deputies and categories in which they are elected: The Chamber of Deputies is composed of eighty (80) Deputies who are elected in the following categories: 2- twenty-four (24) women elected according to the administrative entities of the country; (Article 87) |
|
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Upper House
Sénat / Senate
| Total seats | 26 |
| Total women | 9 |
| Percentage of women | 35% |
| Gender Quota target | 30% |
| Election year | 2019 |
| Electoral system | Indirectly elected and appointed. |
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Constitution |
Composition of the Senate: (7) At least 30% of Senators elected and Senators appointed must be females. (Article 80) |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Gender Quota target | 30% |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
Election of female members of a District Council Female members of Council constituting at least thirty per cent (30%) of all District Council members are elected through indirect and secret ballot by the members of the Council Bureau of Sectors constituting the District and members of the Executive Committee of the National Women Council at the District and Sector levels. (Article 138) Procedures for voting members of the Executive Committee of the District and the City of Kigali The election of members of the Executive Committee of the District and the City of Kigali is held through indirect and secret ballot. There must be at least thirty percent (30%) of women among the members of the Executive Committee. (Article 141) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| No data available. | ||
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
Rwanda adopted a new Constitution in 2003. In addition to constituting a mandatory minimum 30 per cent gender quota in all decision-making bodies, the Constitution explicitly recognizes the responsibility of political organizations to ‘participate in the education of citizens on politics based on democracy and elections and operate in such a manner as to ensure that women and men have equal access to elective offices’ (Article 52, Constitution, Amendment 2 of 8 December 2005).
In 2007, the Law on Political Organizations and Politicians was amended, establishing that party lists for all elective offices must contain at least 30 per cent women candidates. However, the law does not contain any provisions regarding the rank order of women candidates. Following this amendment and in combination with the 24 reserved seats for women, the Rwandan Chamber of Deputies reached a worldwide record in the 2008 legislative elections, as 56.25 per cent of the elected deputies were women. This positive record was repeated in the 2013 legislative elections, when women constituted 63.75 per cent of the total number of elected deputies.
Rwanda’s remarkable progress in increasing women’s political participation and representation in the post- genocide period is largely credited to the introduction of these electoral special measures, as well as other legal acts such as the law for the prohibition of all forms of discrimination and sectarianism, and the Code of Conduct of Political Organizations and Their Members (adopted by the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations in Rwanda in 2005). The code promotes rules and regulations, discipline and integrity, and governs all political activities in Rwanda.
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of Rwanda - Link
- Law Governing Elections (amended through 2021, 2023) - Link
- Law governing political organizations and politicians (amended through 2018) - Link
OTHER SOURCES:
- Parliament of Rwanda - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- Inter-parliamentary Union [IPU] Parline - Rwanda Country Profile
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Rwanda on iKNOW Politics
- UN Women. (August 13, 2018). Revisiting Rwanda five years after record-breaking parliamentary elections.
- Powley, E. (2008). Defending Children's Rights: The Legislative Priorities of Rwandan Women Parliamentarians, The Initiative for Inclusive Security, A Program of Hunt Alternatives Fund
- Wallace, C., Haerpfer, C. & Abbott, P. (2008). Women in Rwandan politics and society. doi:10.2753/IJS0020-7659380406
- Hansson, F. (2007). Constitution-Making Explanations to Gender Quotas. A Case Study of the Introduction of Reserved Seats for Women in the Rwandan Parliament. Master Thesis, Uppsala University.
- Longman, T. (2006). Rwanda: Achieving equality or serving an authoritarian state? in G. Bauer and H. E. Briton (eds.), Women in African Parliaments. Boulder, CO: Lynne Reinner Publishers.
- Schwartz, H. (2004). Women's representation in the Rwandan Parliament. Master Thesis, Dept. of Political Science, Gothenburg University.
- Powley, E. (2003). Strengthening Governance: The Role of Women in Rwanda’s Transition, paper presented at the Women Waging Peace Policy Commission. [September 2003]
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