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.


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 A contentious referendum in 2015 repealed the constitutional limit of two presidential terms.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