AU– COMESA Election Observer Mission arrives in Kigali
Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - The joint African Union Commission (AUC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) mission has arrived in Kigali for observation of general elections to be held on 14, 15 and 16 July 2024.
The AU Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) was invited by the Government of Rwanda and the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Rwanda.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, approved the deployment of the short-term AUEOM to assess and report on the conduct of these elections, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the AUC.
In addition, the African Union and COMESA have agreed to deploy a joint Election Observation Mission in Rwanda to assess and report on the elections.
The joint mission is led by Jorge Carlos De Almeida Fonseca, former President of Cape Verde and deputised by Ruhakana Rugunda, former Prime Ministers of Uganda and a Member of the COMESA Committee of Elders.
According to the AUC, the mission comprises 48 short term observers drawn from ambassadors accredited to the African Union, officials of election management bodies, members of African civil society organisations, African election experts, gender and media experts, and representatives of youth organisations.
The observers are drawn from 17 countries.
The observers will be deployed to all four provinces of Rwanda including city of Kigali where they will observe the Election Day procedures, including the opening of polls, voting, closing and the counting processes at polling stations.
The African Union - COMESA EOM will base its assessment on the legal framework governing elections in Rwanda and the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections, standards and obligations stipulated in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), and the International Declaration of Principles (DoP) for International Election Observation among other normative frameworks.
Ahead of, during and after the elections, the joint Mission shall interact with the Government of Rwanda, the National Electoral Commission, political parties and candidates, the media, civil society and faith-based organisations and some representatives of the international community. The Mission will also interact with other election observation missions deployed to observe the 2024 General Elections in Rwanda.
A preliminary statement containing initial findings and recommendations on the conduct of the elections will be released on 17 July 2024 at a press conference in Kigali. A comprehensive final report will be released within two months from the date of declaration of final election results and will be posted on the AU Commission website.
The joint Mission’s Secretariat is located at the Radisson Blu by Convention Centre in Kigali.
-0- PANA AR/MA 10July2024
