East African Community applauds Rwanda for holding peaceful, credible election
The East African Community (EAC) has described Monday’s general elections in Rwanda as peaceful and generally reflecting people’s will.
The elections saw the re-election of incumbent Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
In a statement issued by its headquarters in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha, the EAC said that the electoral process was well-organised without a single incident of violence, a remarkable milestone in the country’s transformation.
David Maraga, Kenya’s former chief justice and head of the EAC Election Observation Mission to Rwanda, hailed the public media in Rwanda for promoting a peaceful and transparent electoral process.
He recommended that the media offer balanced and fair coverage to all the presidential candidates and political parties ahead of the general elections.
“The media played a significant role in educating voters to understand the voting process and how to exercise their democratic rights. It highlighted the procedure for polling stations’ opening and closing times and the prohibited activities in polling rooms,” said Mr Maraga.
He added that the mission also noted that all the presidential candidates and political organisations had equitable coverage for their rallies and activities.
Mr Maraga also mentioned that the National Electoral Commission of Rwanda made adequate preparations and observed transparency in managing the general elections.
Rwanda is a member of the EAC, an intergovernmental organisation.
Other members of the regional bloc are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.
(Xinhua/NAN)
