Rwandan lawmakers began a national tour Monday consulting people on possible constitutional changes to allow President Paul Kagame a third term in power, parliament speaker Donatilla Mukabalisa said.
Last week both houses in parliament voted in support of a constitutional change, backing a petition signed by millions of citizens.
“All lawmakers will go to consult with the population … to ask them their opinion about the amendment – what they expect from this reform,” Mukabalisa told AFP.
Over 3.7 million people – well over half of the voters – signed a petition calling for a change to Article 101 of the constitution, which limits the president to two terms, according to Rwandan media.
The consultations, which end on August 11, will guide lawmakers as they draft proposed changes.
Any change to the constitution would require a vote in support by at least three-quarters of both parliamentary houses, followed by a national referendum.
From the trauma of genocide, Kagame has been painted as a guarantor of stability and economic development, earning praise from donors – and his supporters say many in Rwanda view the prospect of his departure as a step into the unknown.
Critics say however that he has silenced the opposition and the media.
Kagame says the decision is for the “Rwandan people.”
The move comes amid a wider controversy in Africa over efforts by leaders to change constitutions in order to stay in office.
Neighboring Burundi has been in turmoil since April when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his bid to stand for a third term in polls, a move branded by opponents as unconstitutional and a violation of a peace deal that paved the way to end civil war in 2006.
