NEC: We are 80% ready for a flawless referendum

The National Electoral Commission has earmarked Rwf2 billion for upcoming referendum slated for December 17 and 18. President Paul Kagame called a referendum on the revised Constitution during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. According to Cabinet resolutions, voting for Rwandans in the Diaspora will be conducted on December 17, while those in the country will cast their votes the following day. Speaking to The New Times yesterday, NEC officials said they were 80 per cent prepared to conduct the referendum. At least 68,000 election volunteers are expected to assist the commission in the referendum. Logistics and organisation of the exercise are in high gear, NEC executive secretary Charles Munyaneza said. He said the remaining work is about public awareness which, according to him, won’t be complicated since the referendum was initiated by the citizens. “We have got a list of registered voters, which is 6.4 million. We have already supplied voters’ cards, we have ballot boxes ready in stores and we shall be printing ballot papers early next week,” Munyaneza said. “As for election kits, we had already procured materials that were to be used next year during local government elections which will be used for this referendum.” Munyaneza explained that unlike last parliamentary polls conducted on Rwf4.8 billion budget, the upcoming referendum budget will be slightly lower. “The budget is lower simply because we had a number of facilities in place with no other extra requirements, what is remaining is the sensitisation through local governments, public institutions, parastatals and faith-based organisations,” he said. Edouard Munyemaliza, the coordinator of Rwanda Civil Society Platform, said government should conduct awareness campaigns about the revised Constitution ahead of the referendum. While the ballot paper will be supplied to the polling stations on the eve of the referendum by the staff – who are undergoing training –, Munyaneza said features on the ballot papers are clear enough to facilitate voters. “The features on the ballot paper will have space clearly marked a ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ vote,” he said. “It should be noted that for the Constitution to be approved, there will have to be an absolute majority, which is 50-plus-one per cent of the ‘YES’ vote.” The time of opening and closing polls, according to NEC, remain unchanged since voting will start at polling stations from 7am and close at 3pm. Rwandans from Diaspora on holiday in the country will have to present a travel document showing temporal stay in the country or by providing a consular voting card. The referendum follows appeals from members of the public who petitioned Parliament to change the Constitution to allow President Kagame continue stewardship of the country beyond 2017 when his second seven-year term expires. Parties rally members Meanwhile, political parties are already calling on their members to prepare for elections by voting in the referendum, with Liberal Party (PL) being the latest to rally its members. In a statement, issued yesterday, PL reminded members to exercise their rightful obligation by casting a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum vote. PL pledged coalition with other parties in what it termed as continuity of peace, security, justice, unity and reconciliation, good governance and social welfare already registered in the country. The referendum will be the fourth to take place since 1961 (about removal of a monarchy), 1978 (about multiparty dispensation) and 2003 (about the current Constitution). In 2014, a report by a global electoral watchdog concluded that Rwanda’s parliamentary elections held in 2013 were the best organised in Africa going by the index on the polls held in 2013. The Constitution says any changes to Article 101 on presidential term limits can only be endorsed by the people through a referendum. In the revised Constitution, the lawmakers maintained presidential term limits, reducing the length of a single term from seven down to five years – renewable only once –, but these changes would be preceded by a transitional period of a seven-year presidential term.

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NEC: We are 80% ready for a flawless referendum