Electoral observers present report to Chief Justice

The joint mission of electoral observation of the African Diaspora in Europe and the African Civil Society on Tuesday presented their preliminary report on the just concluded presidential polls to Chief Justice Prof Sam Rugege. The team was among the observers during last Friday’s presidential elections in Rwanda and they congratulated the country on a smooth and peaceful electoral process. Chief Justice Sam Rugege (R) bids farewell to Amokon Eba head of mission of the electoral observers from African Diaspora in Europe.TKisambira Amoikon Eba, an Ivorian living in Paris, was the head of the mission. He told The New Times that they could not leave the country without presenting their preliminary report to the Chief Justice. “The campaign went well and the election too. Rwanda is a calm country. The Supreme Court is a high institution. It’s important for our mission to come and present a copy of our report to the Chief Justice,” Eba said. Amokon Eba head of mission of the electoral observers from African Diaspora in Europe presents the electoral report to media before handing it over to the Chief Justice. TKisambira He added that Rwanda is a model to most African countries giving an example of how candidates respected one another throughout the campaign. Eba emphasized that the report includes their take on the so-called “climate of fear” that the western media alluded to about the pre-election environment in Rwanda, a claim he said was baseless. “There is no fear here in Rwanda because we are witnesses, foreign witnesses. The campaigns were conducted contrary to what the Western media were saying. When we get to Paris we will hold a news conference to talk about what we saw here; Rwandans and their authorities are both mature,” he added. Chief Justice Sam Rugege looks through the electoral report from observers from African Diaspora in Europe.TKisambira Chief Justice Sam Rugege welcomed the gesture, saying that he was not used to such a generosity by electoral observers. “The report could help us resolve some issues in relation to the elections though we think there won’t be any, due to how Rwandans participated in the vote,” Rugege said. Chief Justice Sam Rugege (C)pose for a group photo with electoral observers from African Diaspora in Europe.TKisambira “Africa is on its way to self-confidence. What we do in Africa, we do it for our people and we are the ones to come up with solutions for their issues,” he added. The report will also be presented to the African Union, the European Union, different embassies and African Diaspora across the globe. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Electoral observers present report to Chief Justice