The local government elections at the cell and village levels ended peacefully yesterday, the National Electoral Commission has said. Three more categories of leaders were elected yesterday, following Monday’s polls, from each cell (the second lowest administrative entity above the village level) to complete the council at the cell level. Those elected yesterday represent nursery schools, primary schools and the business community in each cell. Charles Munyaneza, the executive secretary of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), told The New Times last evening that the turn-up of voters was, “about 100 per cent.” “Today (yesterday) we had elections completing the ones that begun on Monday, at the village and cell levels. We also had elections for councillors representing each cell in sector council, and they were all peaceful elections,” said Munyaneza. The next grassroots elections, slated for Friday and Saturday, will be for those representing varsities and secondary schools to youth councils at various levels ranging from cell to national level. Munyaneza said the total number of those elected in different positions at the village and cell levels would be released later today. More than 76,000 local leaders were, on Monday, elected in all the country’s 14,837 villages (imidugudu), including members of village councils and women and youth leaders. The local government elections, which will climax on March 4, will see more than 274,000 leaders elected across the country, including representatives of special interest groups, the youth, women and persons living with disabilities. “From February 12 and 13, we will conduct elections through electoral colleges at the sector level, consequently leading us to the district polls,” Munyaneza said. After the elections through electoral colleges at various levels, eligible voters will be expected to return to the polls on February 22 to vote for district counsellors in a secret ballot. It is the district councils and members of sector councils in respective districts that will constitute the electoral colleges to pick the mayor and two vice mayors for each of the 30 districts countrywide on February 27, as well as the City of Kigali mayor and two deputies on March 2. The eventual mayors and vice mayors will first be elected to district councils – alongside other councillors – through universal suffrage. Aspirants for the position of district councillor are currently on the campaign trail. Rwanda has 30 districts, 416 sectors, 2,148 cells and 14,837 villages. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
