NEC starts receiving candidate applications today

• 4.7 million people expected to vote GASABO - The National Electoral Commission (NEC) will today start receiving applications from prospective candidates willing to stand in the forthcoming parliamentary elections. This was confirmed by NEC Chairman Prof. Chrysologue Karangwa in a press briefing at Hotel Novotel last evening. “Effective tomorrow morning (today), we shall be receiving candidatures from political parties and individuals willing to be part of the polls…this will run until August 21,” Karangwa told journalists. He said that political organizations and coalitions will submit lists containing not more than 80 people. “This does not imply that it has to be 80 people; it can be less… that is just the maximum we expect them to submit,” said Karangwa who was also at the helm of the commission that oversaw the 2003 Presidential and parliamentary elections. The polls, expected to take place on September 15, will see 53 members of the lower chamber of parliament elected. A day after, another election by electoral colleges will see 24 women representatives elected from across the country representing different regions. The elections for women parliamentarians will be conducted by their representatives to the National Women’s Council right from the sector level and will be held at provincial level. Kigali City was allotted two seats, the Northern Province four seats, while the Eastern, Southern, and Western Provinces will each be represented by six. Other colleges that will elect their representatives to the August House are the National Youth Council and the National Council for the Disabled, which are to be represented by two and one person respectively. Meanwhile, the NEC acting Executive Secretary Charles Munyaneza said that the tentative list of voters expected to participate in the elections stands at 4.7 million. “But that is subject to change because we need to further scrutinize the list,” said Munyaneza at the same conference. After NEC closes doors for applications on August 21, it is expected to announce the final list of candidates with bona fide requirements on August 24. Public campaigns will start on August 25 and run up to September 13. Ends