Rwanda’s ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), elected its first female vice-chairperson on Sunday, while President Paul Kagame retained the chairmanship.
Console Uwimana was elected with 1,945 votes or roughly 93% of the total votes cast.
According to observers, her promotion is the party’s way of giving more power to women while maintaining a balanced ethnicity quota in its top leadership.
Ms. Uwimana is a seasoned banker and businesswoman who served as a senator from 2007 to 2019.
The next general elections in Rwanda are scheduled for 2024.
President Kagame has led the East African country since 2000. A contentious referendum in 2015 repealed the constitutional limit of two terms for presidents.
Mr. Kagame received 99.8% of the total votes cast on Sunday to retain the leadership of the ruling party.
Rwanda has one of the highest proportions of women in parliament and government in the world.
