THE Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof Kalisa Mbanda, has said the electoral process in the Diaspora went smoothly with high turnout.

According to accounts from different Rwandans across the globe, there was excitement as thousands thronged their respective embassies, consulates and other polling sites to cast their votes.

Mbanda, who was addressing a news conference in Kigali yesterday, told reporters that registered voters’ numbers in the Diaspora (44,362) doubled compared with the previous presidential election because NEC "put in more effort” this time to get more Rwandans registering.

Mbanda said: "All has gone well and participation is high in the Diaspora. We are in constant touch with our embassies and we allowed them to extend the voting time, where necessary, depending on their specific time needs given the different time zones.”

NEC Executive Secretary Charles Munyaneza said the Diaspora will start counting results at 3pm today.

"They will not start counting immediately after voting. We don’t want results from the Diaspora to influence what happens here,” Munyaneza said, also explaining that after the closure of polling stations in the country today, Friday, the Commission will announce "preliminary results” which show the tendency or what is likely to come out in the end.

Eng. Daniel Murenzi, president of the Rwanda Diaspora Global Network (RDGN), said: "Rwandan Diaspora, globally, we are happy for the special time and date given to us to choose a president who will lead us for the coming seven years.”

"So far, the process has been going on well. On behalf of all Diaspora colleagues, I would like to thank my government to have put in action our request of increasing the number of polling stations and also giving us full support during the process.”

The Embassy of Rwanda in the Netherlands had its official polling station located at the Johan van Oldenbarneveltlaan 9-b in The Hague.

"As the Netherlands is a relatively small country, Rwandan Diaspora from all over the country had the opportunity to travel to The Hague and cast their votes,” reads a statement from the embassy.

According to the registration list, 409 Rwandans living in the Netherlands were expected to cast their votes.

Few minutes after casting her vote in Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, Jackiline Hansen, a Rwandan living in Jylland and Fyn, in Denmark, told The New Times that she was on her way back home but was impressed by the turnout despite challenges such as being a working day.

Hansen said: "All went well really, some of us traveled the day before so as to make it as we live in different parts of this big country. Right now we are travelling for eight to nine hours to get back home. We are very happy even though we shall get home very late in the night.”

Elodie Shami, the communications and public relations officer at the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington, DC, US, said: "It is now 10am Eastern Time. We opened the Washington, DC polling station at 7am.”

There are 10 polling stations across the US.

Shami said: "So far, Rwandans here have shown up in good numbers at the Washington DC station which I am coordinating, and we expect more to arrive as the day progresses. All polling stations will be closing at 8pm (US local time) to facilitate those travelling from a bit further after work hours.”

Amb. Emma-Francoise Isumbingabo, Rwanda’s envoy in South Korea, said voter turnout in Seoul was high.

"Voters are happy, especially as for most of them it is the very first time they cast their vote as most Diaspora members here are young university students,” she said.

There are 98 polling stations abroad in all countries where the country has diplomatic missions, save for Burundi and the DR Congo where voter registration was halted due to security concerns.

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