Rwanda will, for the first time, hold synchronized elections to decide the country’s next Head of State and Members of Parliament, in July, following the revision of the Constitution as published in the Official Gazette on August 4, 2023. With less than five months left for Rwandans to go to the polls, The New Times’ Edwin Ashimwe interviewed Oda Gasinzigwa, the Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), who shed light on the preparations and the significant developments leading to the preparation of synchronized Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

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The NEC chief also explained, among others, why it was important to harmonise the elections, and how the institution she leads has been looking into digitalizing the electoral process so as to make it easier for voters. And, she stressed, the Commission is not worried about the budget.

The excerpts;

Rwanda goes to the polls in five months to come. Briefly, take us through the journey, so far; where do we stand as far as NEC is concerned?

Let me first say that we are about to celebrate our 25 years’ anniversary, the Silver Jubilee of the National Electoral Commission, next year. The National Electoral Commission was established in 2000 and, throughout the past 24 years of its existence, it has made great strides in building institutional and human resource capacities that enabled it to fulfil its legal mandate of organizing and conducting free and fair elections as well as providing electoral voter education to the population to enhance electoral democracy.

The Commission was established six years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. I think one of the major pillars which was put in place was good governance. This was at the center of the new leadership but of course, I think, when you read the history, you find that even our Arusha Peace Accords mentioned the importance of having this system of putting in place leaders through elections. Elections are one of the indicators, or one of the mechanisms, to help any democratic government ensure that citizens have the power to make policy decisions and have their will freely expressed. Today, I would confidently say that NEC has made significant strides towards electoral democracy, especially through organizing and conducting elections in Rwanda.

Now, in the last five months, there have been significant developments leading to the preparation of synchronized Presidential and Parliamentary elections: Parliament passed the November 2023 organic law amending the July 2019 organic law governing elections in order to cater for combined Presidential and Parliamentary elections. And then, there was a December 2023 Presidential Order relating to elections of the President and Deputies which was published setting dates for electoral campaigns and polling.

Why was it important to have synchronized or combined elections?

The decision to hold these elections on the same day was mainly taken to: save time for voters and other election stakeholders, instead of participating in elections almost every year, and, it also became necessary as the term of office for the President and Members of Parliament became five years. It was a way of harmonizing the electoral period. Another reason was the use of a relatively smaller election budget compared to when elections are held in different years. About Rwf3 billion will be saved. And then, there is the point of harmonizing the electoral period with many other countries, especially in the region, which hold elections on the same day.

What other mechanisms were considered so as to make sure that elections run smoothly?

For example, we have been looking into the polling station element; looking to different activities at the polling station because that is where the work is going to be done. We are also looking at the number of volunteers whom we will need; do we need to add? Do we need to have more rooms? And so on and so on. There are many activities ongoing now, so that we help citizens to use less time and at the same time give us enough time to do our work properly and provide results to the community on time as has always been the case.

We are working around the clock, and making sure that we are looking at all the corners, all the angles, to make sure that we are not leaving any stone untouched, making sure that everything is prepared timely. That is what is important in an electoral process.

What is the status of preparations?

We have covered some good ground. Things already done, by now, include: having all electoral legal instruments in place; we started the procurement of election materials; and we started voter education and information. But we also have things that remain to be done. Updating the voter register, holding consultative meetings with stakeholders, inviting local and international election observers, receiving names of people aspiring candidates for the President and Members of Parliament, printing ballot papers, monitoring election campaigns, and so on.

This week we are focused on voter education, and this will go all the way to election day. We are all over the country with our stakeholders working with different groups to explain to Rwandans why the need to be part and parcel of this process. At the onset, we are working with the coordination committees at district level. This is a committee at district level where we have representatives from different institutions; the local government, the private sector, women representatives, the youth, people living with disability, and others, so as to be able to reach the lowest level of the local communities. This being the first time we are having harmonized elections, we need to reach out to the community and explain the rationale behind it all, and also their voting rights.

How many voting centers or sites are there?

NEC expects to use around 2,500 polling sites (centers), up from the 2,469 polling sites used in the 2018 general elections. We will have two different ballot boxes for Presidential and Parliamentary elections. The Presidential ballot box shall be white in colour; both the box and its lid, while the Parliamentary elections shall have a white box with a black lid. NEC is in the process of procuring Presidential elections ballot boxes.

So, what are the most important dates?

We will have elections in the diaspora on July 14. And we're going to have elections in Rwanda on July 15 while July 16 will be elections for the special groups. Another important date is May 17 through to May 30 during which candidates will submit their candidatures to the electoral commission. The campaign begins from June 22 through July 13. A detailed programme has been announced and it is on the NEC website.

Are you considering to digitalize the electoral process? What should voters expect?

Yes, NEC is in the process of developing a new election management software which shall be tested before the elections. One of the areas the National Electrical Commission has been looking into is how we can digitalize and blend this process with technology.

We are in the era of technology, so we cannot be left behind. In the past few years, NEC has been developing software for electoral management. In the near future, we will inform the public about which ones we are ready to start with, and which ones, progressively, are going to be used.

How much will this synchronized election cost, on estimate?

One of the milestones, or one of the achievements, of our country is that since 2017, the government has been funding election fully and we are happy for that. We are still in consultation with the Ministry of Finance because in 2024 we will be having not only presidential and parliamentary elections, but also the Senate and City of Kigali elections.

In 2023-2024 the government provided around Rwf5.3 billion, and in 2024-2025, we have so far received, an initial ceiling of Rwf3.8 billion. It is obvious that the total budget will be less compared to the previous elections. I would say that generally we are not worried about the budget.

What, if anything, should first time voters know?

We expect to have close to 1.2 million new voters; from 2018. These new voters will be informed and educated on the electoral process and their conduct during elections.

Who is eligible to vote and who is not?

All Rwandans aged 18 and above are eligible to vote except those convicted by courts of law for crimes such as genocide, rape, manslaughter, corruption, and others.

How are you prepared as far as the Diaspora community is concerned?

Actually, the way it is done locally is almost the same way it is done in the Diaspora. And we are happy to say that throughout past elections, we have been working very well with our embassies. In our governing organic law, it is clearly stated that our embassies and consulates work closely with the National Electoral Commission in the preparation of elections.

But what we do more is to try and see how we can facilitate them; how we can help them because they are not here on the ground. If it is the issue of IDs or the issue of passports, we consider the uniqueness of the diaspora and work with the embassies to make sure that we abide by the rules and regulations. But, at the same time, we facilitate them so that whoever wants to vote is given an opportunity to vote and is given information at the right time. The Rwandan Community living abroad (Diaspora) shall be facilitated to register as voters using modern technology and shall also be facilitated to physically cast their votes in Rwandan Embassies and Consulates.

Your parting shot?

Well, NEC is ready to go. We have been in preparations throughout this year, and we want to thank all our partners and request them for continued support so that we prepare a transparent, fair election. We are confident. This is not the first time to go to the polls and there is a sense that Rwandans have now familiarized with the process. What is important for us, as Rwanda, and NEC in particular, is that we ensure that elections are prepared and conducted to the satisfaction of Rwandans; including having a peaceful and secure electoral process.