54 Candidates Vie for Youth MP Seat After Icyitegetse’s Resignation.
Rwanda’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) on August 25, 2026, released the final list of 54 candidates, including 11 women, who will compete for the youth representative seat in the Chamber of Deputies.
The election follows the resignation of Venuste Icyitegetse, who previously held the youth representative position. Icyitegetse’s resignation was announced on June 11, 2026, after he wrote to the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies informing her that he was stepping down for personal reasons.
However, there have been allegations that his resignation could be linked to alleged misconduct, although this has not been established as the official reason for his departure.
The final list of candidates increased from 45 candidates on the provisional list published by NEC on August 17 to 54.
The election to choose Icyitegetse’s replacement will take place on September 2, 2026. NEC said provisional results will be announced the same day, while the final results are expected on September 9.
The electoral college will consist of members of the National Youth Council executive committee at the national level, together with representatives from each district.
The successful candidate will serve as a Member of Parliament for the remainder of the current five-year parliamentary term, which began in 2024.
Icyitegetse is the latest MP to resign from the current youth representative position. The other recent parliamentary resignations mentioned by NEC were from the 2018–2024 parliamentary term. Dr. Gamariel Mbonimana, who resigned on November 14, 2022, and Ernest Kamanzi, who resigned on December 29, 2022.
