East African Community Dispatches teams observing elections for Rwanda

Scheduled for Monday, July 15, 2024, the East African Community (EAC) has sent fourteen Election Observation Teams to keep an eye on Rwanda’s forthcoming General Election. This deployment seeks to guarantee that the election is carried out in line with accepted national, regional, and international regulations as well as in compliance.

Former Kenyan Chief Justice David K. Maraga noted off the teams from the Mission headquarters in Kigali. He is Emeritus. Along with the City of Kigali, the surveillance teams will be spread over all four provinces of Rwanda, including each of the thirty districts.

Following the arrival of the Mission in Kigali on July 8, 2024, the observers have interacted with several electoral stakeholders to learn about the election planning. This covered instruction on the ethics, methods, and ideas of regional and worldwide election observation.

According to CJ Maraga, an EAC advance team examined the electoral preparations in great detail technically. The results of this study have guided the policies for election monitoring, including the nationwide team deployment.

By means of preparatory activities and engagements, the Mission has familiarized itself with the present election climate and the setting in which Rwandans would exercise their democratic rights. Comprising representatives from EAC Partner States and the East African Legislative Assembly, the 55-member EAC Observer Mission will evaluate electoral stakeholders’ degree of readiness and involvement as well as adherence to electoral procedures and administration.

“The Observers will also assess adherence to the democratic values of the EAC as embodied in the Treaty and offer objective recommendations for continuous improvement for the conduct of such elections, said CJ Maraga.”

On July 16, 2024, the observation teams are supposed to return to the mission headquarters in Kigali. Their field reports will help to prepare a preliminary statement of the EAC Election Observation Mission, scheduled for publication on July 17, 2024. The mission leaves Rwanda on July 18, 2024.

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Furthermore mentioned by CJ Maraga is the largely peaceful political, security, and electoral atmosphere ahead of the vote day. He thanked the government leadership, Rwandan people, and the institutions overseeing the voting procedures for preserving stability and peace.

“For this, we wish to thank the political leadership, the people of Rwanda, and the institutions managing the electoral processes in the country,” said the Head of Mission, adding that a peaceful and successful general election will not only be a triumph for Rwanda but for the entire EAC.

Several eminent personalities attended the flagging-off ceremony, including Deputy Head of Mission and EALA MP Hon. Siranda Gerald Blacks, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Hon. Andrea Ariik Aguer Malueth, EALA MPs and Observers, and EAC Member of Staff.