The Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) Prof. Karangwa Chrisologue has castigated opposition political parties that call for inclusion of their members in the commission, saying that it cannot help them win the forthcoming presidential elections.

While appearing on the televised town hall meeting yesterday, Karangwa said that the parties should convince the population to vote for them but not seek to join the commission.  

"Joining of the commission cannot make anybody win the presidential elections since someone’s presence is not the one that determines who wins, but the voters,” Karangwa said.

He was responding to a caller who asked why the opposition was not being allowed to join the commission.
"We were put in the electoral commission as trusted people who are supposed to work for the interest of all Rwandans,” Karangwa said.

"Instead of people agitating to join the commission, they should open their eyes wide to see if any rules are bent and then complain.”

According to Karangwa, NEC is not a battle field, but a commission put in place to oversee the elections.

"The law that governs the electoral commission does not provide for that arrangement because if it were the case, then, it would cease to be an electoral body and become a battle field for people with different interests,” he said.

This comes following several declarations by the embattled PS Imberakuri that it will not participate in the elections if it is not allowed to join the electoral body.

Meanwhile the commission will today begin the exercise of correcting the voters’ register where voters will be required to go and check if their names are on the register.

The exercise which will last for 21 days will be conducted at the Mudugudu (cell level) everyday from 7a.m. to 4p.m.
The aim of the exercise is to clean up the voters register ahead of the voters’ cards issuance.

Rwanda’s presidential elections are scheduled for August this year.

Ends