NEC Meets Election Observers

KIGALI - Observers in the forthcoming Presidential election have been urged to carry out their work with the highest degree of objectivity. The call was made yesterday by the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Chrysologue Karangwa, in a meeting that brought him together with the over a thousand accredited observers for the August 9 polls. Karangwa hinted at cases that may arise of some ‘unprofessional observers’ who never go to the field hence compiling false reports. “Some observers have a tendency of not going to the field to do their work, and in most cases, these are the same people who go and write unsubstantiated reports that are based on hearsay,” he said. Karangwa told the observers that such conduct has been experienced in the previous elections. “Such conduct is uncalled for. You need to do your work in a professional manner because we also need to use your reports to improve our work as the electoral body,” Karangwa advised. Speaking at the meeting, the Executive Secretary Charles Munyaneza told the observers that they are important in ensuring a transparent electoral process. He took them through the various key elements that they need to know about the upcoming elections.Munyaneza also urged the observers to give special attention to various electoral instructions and the electoral laws to avoid breaking them on the electoral day. The observers were also enlightened on their rights during elections. The 1, 394 observers will be monitoring the elections from 1,557 polling stations around the country. Local observers, mainly representing the Civil Society Organisations form the biggest percentage. Ends