On May 20, 2024, Habineza was received by Oda Gasinzigwa, the Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), at the commission’s offices in Kiyovu.
Dr. Habineza arrived at the NEC offices at 9:20 AM, accompanied by a large group of Green Party members including Senator Alex Mugisha and the party’s Secretary General, Elias Ntezimana.
He was asked to present all necessary documents, which he did, though some issues were found.
A presidential candidate is required to have Rwandan nationality by descent, hold no other citizenship, be irreproachable in conduct, and not have been deprived of civil and political rights by the courts.
Candidates must be at least 35 years old and must be in Rwanda at the time of submitting their candidacy, whereas parliamentary candidates must be 21 years old and hold Rwandan citizenship.
Among the required documents, Dr. Habineza Frank was missing two, including a certificate showing he had renounced any other nationality and a letter to the NEC requesting to be a candidate.
NEC President, Oda Gasinzigwa, asked the Green Party to ensure these documents are provided before the final list of approved candidates is released.
Dr. Habineza explained that he did not think it was necessary to provide a new certificate renouncing his previous Swedish citizenship, as he had already renounced it in 2017 when he first ran for President, assuming it was not needed again.
This is not the first time Dr. Habineza has contested in the presidential elections, as he received 0.48% of the vote in 2017.
He recently expressed confidence in his chances, noting that during the last elections, his party was still young, having been legally recognized in Rwanda only four years earlier.
He stated, "Indeed, last time in the presidential elections we did not get enough votes, but let’s remember that we were the only party challenging the nine others, it was not just an RPF candidate but a candidate from all those parties as you know them."
The NEC plans to announce the definitively approved candidates from June 14, 2024, with the campaigning period running from June 22 to July 13, 2024.



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