Rwanda has set December 17 and 18 as the days on which it will hold a Referendum on term limits, a move that might pave the way for President Paul Kagame to rule beyond the mandatory two-seven year terms.
According to a statement by Cabinet chaired by President Kagame on Tuesday, Rwandans in the Diaspora will vote on December 17 while those at home will vote the next day.
The announcement of the Referendum dates follows strong criticism against a possible ‘third term’ for Kagame by global power centres including the US and European Union, which have since argued that the move ‘undermines democracy’.
The stance taken by the western powers has irked Mr Kagame, prompting him to tell them to keep off the internal affairs of his country.
Mr Kagame was first elected president in 2003 and won re-election in 2010, meaning his constitutional term ends in 2017.
The anxiety created by Kagame’s possible departure after 2017 prompted several Rwandans to call for Mr Kagame to continue in the driving seat, with millions petitioning Parliament to amend Article 101 of the Constitution in a bid to clear the way for Kagame’s continued presidency.
In response to the petitions the Parliamentarians conducted ‘constituency consultations’ in July, which also provided the same message and answer: ‘We want Kagame as President’.
Then the Senate debated the matter, making a few changes to Article 101 in respect to the term limits and, in their resolution the Senators agreed that Kagame could continue as President for the next seven years, after which the country would elect leaders to serve two five-year terms, in which Kagame would also eligible to contest.
In a related development, as cries for Kagame’s continued stay in power escalated, little-known Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) carried out a sustained campaingn against changing the Constitution, with its leader Dr Frank Habineza taking to several platforms including the media, Parliament and court to thwart the process.
However, Dr Habineza’s efforts were futile, with the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice Dr Sam Rugege handing him the last defeat onOctober 8 when it ruled that Mr Kagame could run for a third seven-year term.
