Beginning today until August 21, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) will receive applications from people who are interested in campaigning for parliamentary representation. These nominations will see all interest groups fronting their candidates for political competition, including political parties, women, the disabled, the youth; then the political regions of Rwanda that include Kigali City, the northern, southern, eastern and western regions, each with a specific number of nominees, and thereby representing all nooks and corners of Rwanda. At the end of it all, 53 individuals will be elected to the Lower Chamber of Parliament on September 15, seeing the close of an elaborate system of polls that has gained Rwanda the enviable reputation of doing things by the letter. Without a doubt it is a reputation well earned. All the electoral colleges know what they are supposed to do and how many people to submit to the NEC. The polls are expected to pass off without a hitch, owing to the high organizational sense that is characterising this exercise. Conducting hassle-free and fair elections is a hallmark of organized states, and Rwanda aspires to be in this club of states. Already, without any prompting, the country invited many foreign observer groups to come and witness the election process and offer any necessary advice, and to this effect the Commonwealth has an observer team here, just as the African Union and other interested international and local civil society groups are also set for the exercise. Rwandans are urged to participate fully in this yet other milestone in the democratization process that will see people electing their representatives to parliament, as exercising their right to vote is enshrined in the national constitution. It should be remembered that as they do this, the country has already received and continues to receive accolades for its organization and high sense of purpose in all programmes it undertakes. It is not too early to say that even the voting should be characterized with a purpose to elect leaders who will drive Rwanda’s positive agenda forward so as not to let our image down. Ends
