Commonwealth releases election report

KIGALI - THE Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma yesterday released the final report of the Commonwealth Observer Group of the August 9 Presidential polls. Sharma said that the Commonwealth group is ready to work with its youngest member in areas where necessary improvements need to be made. Rwanda was last year admitted to the bloc that mainly brings together former British colonies. Noting that the polls were peaceful and well-organised, the Commonwealth noted that the country still has to tackle several challenges even though some of the key benchmarks for democratic elections were met. “The Commonwealth Observer Group recognised that Rwanda is still undergoing a process of national reconstruction and national reconciliation and it is to the country’s credit that it has embarked on a process of consolidating its electoral democracy”. The Secretary-General also stressed that, “the Commonwealth Secretariat stands ready to assist the Government of Rwanda to help further strengthen the democratic process and institutions in the country.”The report was completed and signed by all the 13 members of the Commonwealth Observer Group prior to their departure from Rwanda. It was presented to the Commonwealth Secretary-General by the Chair of the Group, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, former Prime Minister of Tanzania and former Secretary-General of the OAU. Before being made public, it was distributed to the Government of Rwanda, political parties, the National Electoral Commission (NEC). Ends