Today, more than six million Rwandans head to the polls to vote in grassroots elections that will last several weeks.

In today’s exercise alone, eligible Rwandans will pick five members of the executive committees at the village (umudugudu) level, a representative of their respective village to their cell council, and offer two women candidates who will go on to stand for the position of councilor at the cell level.

And, for the first time, the youth and women in all the country’s 140,838 villages will elect members of their National Youth Council and National Women Council, at the village level, while the disabled will also pick their representatives at the cell level.

After today’s poll, the elected grassroots leaders will subsequently hold indirect elections during which they will choose amongst themselves members of new councils at the different administrative levels, including cell, sectors and districts.

On February 27, voters will again be expected to cast their ballot in elections for district mayors and their two deputies, while on March 2 the residents of Kigali will pick the mayor and his or her two deputies.

This exercise climaxes on March 4 with the election of the members of the National Youth Council, National Women Council, as well as the National Council of People Living with Disabilities – at the national level.

This election cycle is significant in many ways. It comes at a time the nation is seeking to accelerate the implementation of the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II) as it edges ever closer to the final year of Vision 2020, while efforts are also undergoing to draw a new long-term development blueprint.

The elections also take place as Rwanda – just like other countries around the world – turns the page on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and embraces the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with view to make the world a better place for all by 2030.

Additionally, the polls come less than two months after the overwhelming endorsement of the new Constitution, which effectively paved the way for President Paul Kagame to seek re-election next year – in response to popular appeals from Rwandans, both at home and abroad, for the extension of the President’s leadership to allow for consolidation and furtherance of the country’s gains.

As such, it’s imperative that Rwandans, as they have so often done before, vote for people who do not only have the country’s best interest at heart but are also committed to the national development agenda, as well as to the core values of the Rwandan society.

All voters, individually and collectively, have a duty to pick leaders who are capable of delivering to their communities and with an impeccable record in serving others. Voters need to vote for candidates with integrity, and avoid electing people because they attended the same school as them, or were born in the same neighbourhood, or based on any other considerations other than merit and substance.

Candidates too should behave maturely and sell their programmes to earn votes instead of using underhand methods.