KIGALI, 4:00pm — The National Electoral Commission (NEC) since 3pm started counting votes following the voting exercise which closed at 3pm today.

The counting is being done at polling stations before the results can be relayed at the Commission's headquarters for consolidation and official announcing. Members of the public are allowed to follow up the counting process from their respective polling centres, however, the announcement of the results is a prerogative of the Commission.

The Commission will begin announcing results from the various districts from around 7:30pm with the preliminary results to be announced by 10pm, according to Charles Munyaneza, NEC Executive Secretary.

Voting opened at 7am across the country at the 2,340 polling stations.

According to Munyaneza, there has not been any major incidence so far.

"No major incidence, there were a few people who could not find their names on the voting lists since they had not transferred their names, which has since been sorted out. We communicated to the volunteers to allow them to use their national IDs,” he said.

Three presidential candidates—incumbent President Paul Kagame of the RPF-Inkotanyi, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, and independent Philippe Mpayimana—are contesting the election..

Habineza and his wife Edith Kabalira cast his vote at 8:30am at Kimironko II polling station in Gasabo and commended the electoral commission for organising a smooth election. Independent candidate Phillippe Mpayimana cast his vote around midday at Camp Kigali in Nyarugenge District.

The incumbent President Kagame and his family cast their votes at APE-Rugunga polling station in Nyarugenge District.

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