Photo: Sam Ngendahimana/New Times

National Electoral Commission Chairperson, Prof Kalisa Mbanda (centre), addresses the media during the release of the provisional list of elected MPs as NEC Vice Chairperson Rosalie Mukamazera (left) and Executive Secretary Charles Munyaneza look on at Kimihurura, Kigali.

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) yesterday released the preliminary list of all the 80 individuals elected to the Lower House.

They include 53 fronted by political parties (who were elected through universal suffrage), 24 women representatives, two representatives of the youth, and one MP-elect who will represent the interests of the people living with disabilities.

The elections were held over a space of three days.

Parliament has a five-year term.

Some 6.6 million Rwandans took part in the polls both in the country and abroad.

Representatives of women, youth and people living with disabilities were picked through electoral colleges of the respective special interest groups.

President Paul Kagame's Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF)-Inkotanyi and six of its coalition partners won most seats (40), Social Democratic Party (PSD) got five seats, Liberal Party (PL) won four seats, while newcomers Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) and PS-Imberakuri secured two seats each.

None of four independents got the required minimum of 5 per cent to secure a seat.

Prof. Kalisa Mbanda, the NEC chairperson, hailed the poll yesterday as peaceful.

"Generally, the elections were held in a peaceful environment and we are thank all Rwandans, the media and other stakeholders for their positive role throughout the exercise," he said.

He, however, observed that a few isolated incidents had been recorded in Rubavu and Karongi districts in Western Province during Monday's direct poll, including electoral volunteers who opened a ballot box to recover a voter's Identity Card that had slipped through the opening that's usually used to cast the vote, volunteers who attempted to vote for other people, and ballot boxes that were not properly sealed during the voting exercise.

"The culprits have since been arrested and investigations are ongoing," he said.

He also said there were some delays in the opening of polls at some sites during the election of women representatives on Tuesday, owing to delayed delivery of ballot papers and lack of quorum for the electoral colleges.