Early turn out for local polls in Kigali

KIGALI - Voters in Kigali City turned up early yesterday morning to vote for Sector councilors. The elections will see one councilor and one woman representative from each sector elected into the District Advisory Council. The woman is meant to fill the mandatory 30 percent of women representation in the council. Voting began at 6 30 AM., and most polling stations were open as early as 5 a.m., to allow preparations for the exercise. When The New Times team visited some of the polling stations around the city, polling agents said that voters were already lining up at the polling stations to cast their votes by 6 a.m. “I had to wake up early to come and exercise my right. The Electoral Commission and our local leaders did a good job of sensitizing us about the day,” said Eric Ntabana, who voted from Rwimbogo polling station in Nyarugunga Sector, Kicukiro District. By midday, most polling stations had a very slow traffic of voters. In Gasabo District, many of the polling stations visited had most voters queuing by 6:45 AM. At Groupe Scolaire Kagugu polling site in Kinyinya Sector, where 28 villages converged to cast their votes, long queues of voters could be seen by 7 AM while hundreds of other area residents had already finished voting. In Rutunga Sector, Gasabo District where the former Gasabo mayor, Willy Ndizeye contested from, few voters could be seen at polling stations by 10 a.m., as most of them had cast their votes. Ndizeye, who is also seeking his second term as district mayor contested with four others. They are Athanase Rutayisire, Venuste Nkurikiyimana, Anaclet Ngabonziza and Francoise Magnifique Ingabire. At Groupe Scolaire Rutunga polling station where six villages met, a big number of voters had cast their vote by 10:30 a.m., few voters could be seen at the polling station. “Voters turned up in time and many of them have voted and are back in their homes,” Esperance Mukabendera, the polling agent at Rutunga said. Winifilda Mukayigire, the election coordinator in Rutunga said that there was an early turn up of voters and that 70 percent of voters had cast their vote by 10 a.m., in all polling stations in the sector. However, at Gatunga polling station in Nduba Sector, only polling agents could be seen at the site by 11:30 a.m. One of the polling agents, who identified himself as Bernard Turatsinze, said that 95 percent of voters had already cast their vote at Gatunga. Ends

National

Early turn out for local polls in Kigali