Electoral commission trains staff ahead of parliamentary polls

Eighteen members of staff of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) yesterday began a 12-day training session in preparation for next year’s parliamentary elections. The training organised by NEC and facilitated by Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE), a programme aimed at promoting democracy and good governance across the world, will focus on preparation and conduct during the elections. The commission’s Executive Secretary, Charles Munyaneza, said the training was meant to equip electoral officials with more knowledge on election processes and procedures.“You know, one of the responsibilities of the Electoral Commission is to conduct civic education programmes, to educate our people on how to conduct themselves during the elections and how to vote. So, it’s in this regard we organised this workshop,” Munyaneza said.The official noted that apart from such workshops, NEC employees are sent in various countries to study how their electoral commissions operate.“This workshop is very important because it will equip our staff with more skills in election management and I believe this will play a key role in the next year’s elections for Members of Parliament” Munyaneza said.Christopher Mugire, who spoke on behalf of the trainees, said the workshop will help them clearly understand the electoral systems and to learn more how to prepare and conduct free and fair elections.“In the previous years, we used to spend a lot of time preparing and conducting elections, but after undergoing various trainings, we hope to effectively maximise time,” Mugire said.