What are foreign election observers for?

Editor,It’s yet another election season in Rwanda. Next week voters will pick members of the next Chamber of Deputies. And foreign observers have poured into the country to monitor the poll! My question is: do we really need foreign observers? What for? Rwanda’s capacity to conduct credible and smooth elections is unquestionable.  Don’t Rwandans really believe in themselves to conduct elections without foreign approval?

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Editor,It’s yet another election season in Rwanda. Next week voters will pick members of the next Chamber of Deputies. And foreign observers have poured into the country to monitor the poll! My question is: do we really need foreign observers? What for? Rwanda’s capacity to conduct credible and smooth elections is unquestionable.  Don’t Rwandans really believe in themselves to conduct elections without foreign approval?What happened to Rwanda being an independent, sovereign country? We do not need foreign observers for any election – let alone legislative elections. We don’t need foreign approval for our elected leaders, since we, Rwandans, are the ones electing them to serve Rwandans and the constitution.Shabaka, Toronto, CanadaReaction to the story, "Observers begin to arrive ahead of polls”, (The New Times, September 9)