Elections: Where do soldiers, medics, the sick cast their ballot?
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
A voter casts his vote during the previous presidential elections in 2017. Rwandans will go to the polls on July 14-16, to elect the President and Members of Parliament. Photo by Sam Ngendahimana

Rwandans will go to the polls on July 14-16, to elect the President and Members of Parliament.

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) released the final list of voters on June 30. More than 9.5 million Rwandans will take part in the elections, over two million of them will be first-time voters.

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Every voter is supposed to vote from the village where he or she is registered.

According to NEC, however, there are exceptions. Certain groups of people can be allowed to vote from a polling station that is near to them, not necessarily where they were registered.

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The people who can vote from the nearest polling station include soldiers on mission, journalists, students sitting for national examinations and the sick.

Members of the security forces who are on mission, journalists covering elections can cast their ballot at the nearest polling station.

This also applies to the polling staff and emergency workers, Rwandan election observers, as well as representatives of political organisations and independent candidates. They cast their ballot at the polling station they are working from.

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Also allowed to vote from any polling station are medical staff, and people who are on a mission away from the place of registration.

Rwandan citizens who are in Rwanda but registered from an embassy or consulate abroad can cast their ballot at any polling station in the country.

Rwandan citizens who registered to from Rwanda can cast their ballot from a Rwandan embassy or consulate in a foreign country.

For sick people who can leave the hospital bed, there will be a polling station set up at the hospital, according to NEC.

For students of voting age who will be sitting for national exams during the elections period, they can cast their ballot at a polling station located in the same cell as the examination centre.

The 2024 presidential and parliamentary election will take place from July 14 to 16.

On July 14, Rwandans in diaspora will cast their ballot. On July 15, Rwandans in the country will vote for the president and members of parliament.

On July 16, voting will be carried for representatives of special groups in the Chamber of Deputies, namely women, youth and people with disabilities.

There are three candidates vying for the Presidency: Paul Kagame of RPF-Inkotanyi and its allies parties, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party, and independent Philippe Mpayimana.

There are 589 candidates vying for 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.