Elections were peaceful and met key democratic electoral benchmarks
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma today released the final report of the Commonwealth Expert Team that observed the 16 – 18 September 2013 Legislative Elections in Rwanda.
The Secretary-General said the Team found that overall, the elections were peaceful and provided for the key democratic electoral benchmarks such as freedom of association, expression, and universal suffrage.
The Team further noted that the National Electoral Commission was well prepared and mobilised to conduct the elections.
"The Team noted with satisfaction the electoral reforms that have taken place since the 2010 Presidential Elections. Of particular note, in this context, is the establishment of the Rwanda Governance Board, which now has the mandate to register political parties," Mr Sharma said.
The Secretary-General added: "While much progress has been made, the Team found that much more can be done to ensure continued confidence in the electoral process. The Team urged the relevant authorities to consider putting in place fairly equal requirements for registration and allocation of Parliamentary seats for independent candidates and political party candidates, and to significantly strengthen the capacity of the media, particularly in terms of investigative reporting and political commentary and analysis."
The report provides further recommendations on key aspects of the Rwandan electoral and related processes, which the Team believes could bolster the country’s electoral capacity for future elections.
