Rwanda's ruling coalition, 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%.

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 in the Senate from 2003 to 2013.


The following 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 A contentious referendum in 2015 repealed the constitutional limit of two presidential terms.

Mr Kagame received 99.8% of the votes cast on Sunday to retain the ruling party's leadership.

Rwanda has one of the highest proportions of women in parliament and government worldwide.