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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
RWANDA: Rwandans vote on draft constitution
NAIROBI, 26 May 2003 (IRIN) - Rwanda's 3.8 million registered voters were to decide on Monday whether to accept a draft constitution which it is hoped will prevent a repeat of the 1994 genocide, news agencies reported.
The draft constitution, which has already been approved by parliament, allows for an 80-member national assembly, a 26-member senate and a president who will be eligible for election for two seven-year terms.
It also seeks to prevent domination by any one party by stipulating that the president and prime minister must belong to different parties. News agencies said the clause aims to prevent any leader from manipulating differences between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority.
If approved, President Paul Kagame has indicated that presidential and parliamentary elections could follow as soon as July. Elections would bring to an end a nine-year transition period to democracy.
The 1994 genocide carried out by extremist Hutus resulted in the deaths of about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Both international and national observers are monitoring the referendum. News agencies said it could be several days before the result is known.
Themes: (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Governance
[ENDS]
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