Rwandan government seeks constitutional amendments

BBC Monitoring Africa
Text of report by Rwandan news agency RNA on 20 September

Kigali, 20 September: The government has appealed to parliament to amend some articles in the constitution that will make it compatible with the new reforms President Kagame's government has adopted, RNA has established.

Appearing before the lower chamber of parliament the minister of justice, Madam Edda Mukabagwiza outlined some of the articles sought to be amended citing the government adopted "Vision 2020" to be achieved if these articles are amended.

"Articles required to be amended are directed to our achievement of Vision 2020," said the justice minister.

"It is indicative that what is required to be adopted does not require to be done in a referendum," stressed the justice minister.

The request for the amendment comes after an agreement through a cabinet meeting of 24 August 2005, as provided in article 193 of the constitution that gives the president powers to initiate amendment of the constitution.

According to Minister Mukabagwiza the revision of some articles will also help to change names of some institutions which are provided by constitution and may be likely to change in future and this is to help restrain future amendments.

While presenting to them the propositions for amendment, parliamentarians reacted showing fear for keeping on changing the constitution that is only two years old.

"The constitution should not be played with," emphasized Hon Aaron Makuba, raising fears if the government had made thorough consultations with different institution and the public on the amendment.

Hon Nkusi on his side wondered why these changes were not observed some two years back when the constitution was being made.

"Are we going to be amending the constitution every year," wondered Hon Nkusi suggesting that, a mechanism should be set in cases of amendments.

Though were some reactions for fear of amending the constitution, parliamentarians voted for a go ahead and this will be later studied in its respective commission.

The Rwandan government has adopted a territorial reform to help consolidate government capacity for more effective service delivery. The reform is to reduce the current 12 provinces to five, cut 106 districts to 30 and 1,545 sectors to 416.

The territorial reform has engineered the amendment of the two-year-old constitution. Rwanda's constitution was overwhelming voted in the May 2003 national referendum.