ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 discusses the evolution and development of the Rwandan constitution from independence to today. It details the following Rwandan constitutions: The constitution known as the “Constitution of Gitarama,” which was the very first written Rwandan constitution; the 1962 constitution, considered the very first constitution of independent Rwanda; the 1978 constitution that legitimized the one-party dictatorial system; and the 1991 constitution that reopened the multi-party system but came also to be known as the constitution under which Rwanda collapsed into genocide. It further discusses the 1995 fundamental law which was made of the following scattered documents: the amended 1991 Constitution, the peace agreement between the Rwandan Patriotic Front and the Rwandan government, the protocol agreement between the Rwandan political parties, and the RPF declaration. Rwanda remained under this fundamental law until 2003, when it adopted a new constitution. This chapter discusses how the 2003 constitution was drafted and adopted, and the different amendments it underwent until 2015. The final part elaborates on the 2015 amendment to the Rwandan constitution as the fundamental law in force today.
