Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Rwanda
  • News

Court confirms Kagame as acting president

    NAIROBI

    The Supreme Court ruled at the weekend that Vice-President Paul Kagame should assume the duties of President of Rwanda until a successor was found to former President Pasteur Bizimungu, who resigned last Thursday. The court issued a statement on Saturday stating that “the project of agreement among political forces signed on 24 November 1994, which creates the post of vice-presidency, prevails over the Arusha peace accords signed in 1993 when the two are in conflict,” Radio Rwanda reported. “The Protocol of Agreement says that the Vice-President assumes the duties of President when he is no longer able to carry out his duties as head of state,” the report added.

    The Arusha accords stated that it was the Speaker of Parliament who should take over in those circumstances. A press release from the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) said its political bureau would reconvene on 1 April to nominate its two presidential candidates to succeed Bizimungu. A joint session of parliament and the cabinet will then choose between the two.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join