New Delhi: Rwanda is a tiny country in south-central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Rwanda, more than 56 percent of seats are held by women, the highest proportion of women in parliament.
The Parliament consists of two chambers. It makes legislation and is empowered by the constitution to oversee the activities of the President and the Cabinet.
The lower chamber is the Chamber of Deputies, which has 80 members serving a five-year terms.
Twenty-four of these seats are reserved for women, elected through a joint assembly of local government officials.
Another three seats are reserved for youth and disabled members; the remaining 53 are elected by universal suffrage under a proportional representation system.
Following the 2008 election, there are 45 female deputies, making Rwanda the only country with a female majority in the national parliament.
The upper chamber is the 26-seat Senate, whose members are selected by a variety of bodies.
A mandatory minimum of 30% of the senators are women who serve an eight-year term.
