EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania; 6 September 2013: As part of the process to deepen democracy in the region and following an invitation by the Government of Rwanda, the East African Community is preparing to deploy an Election Observer Mission (EOM) to the Parliamentary Elections in Rwanda scheduled to take place on 16th September 2013. The Mission will be on the ground from 10–19 September, 2013 and will be lead by the former Minister of EAC of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Musa Sirma.
The Mission’s mandate is to observe the preparations for the election, the polling, and the overall electoral environment. The mission will also assess the conduct of the process as a whole and, where appropriate, make recommendations for the future strengthening of the electoral framework in the Republic of Rwanda.
EOM are expected to look out for best electoral practices that could be emulated in the region and generally to widen and deepen cooperation between Partner States in socio-economic and political Affairs. The Mission will ascertain whether the elections were free and fair and conform to principles of good governance and democracy in the region.
According to Rwanda’s Electoral Calendar, the legislative elections are staggered over 3 days with 16th September 2013 being the polling day for direct election of members of the National Assembly, the 17th
September 2013 for indirect elections of 24 female Members of Parliament; and finally on 18th September 2013 is slated for indirect election of youth and people with disabilities.
The Mission, will undergo a pre-election training session, undertake a consultative session with key stakeholders and accreditation from 10th - 12th September 2013 and be deployed to the field from 13thSeptember, 2013
The EAC Observer Mission consists of 36 members, who include among others Members of EALA, officials from National Electoral Commissions and Human Rights Commissions from Partner States and the East African Community Secretariat.
A Mission report with recommendations on how best to improve election management in Rwanda in particular and in the EA region in general will be produced and submitted to, among others, the National Electoral Commission – Rwanda and the EAC Council of Ministers for consideration to inform future engagement and interaction during electoral processes in other Partner States
The Mission will issue a launching statement to the media at a Press Conference scheduled for 10thSeptember 2013 at Lemigo Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda. All members of the local and international media are invited to attend