Women urged to participate in forthcoming parliamentary polls

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has urged women to participate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections by turning up in large numbers on Election Day.The polls are slated for September.In a meeting on Wednesday, NEC Chairperson Prof. Mbanda Kalisa underscored the importance of women’s role in teh conduct of successful elections.“NEC is at the forefront of moving Rwanda towards democracy following the country’s ugly past by organising successful elections, a duty the commission has executed well for the past decade. The role of women cannot be overemphasized,” he said.“We are encouraging people to turn up early at polling stations; it is equally our mandate to tell them prior to the elections the importance of the exercise and if you speak of numbers, women play an important role because they constitute 52 per cent of the electorate.”Mbanda added that preparations for the elections of members of the Chamber of Deputies were at an advanced stage.He said that the commission has already concluded training electoral officials and the updated list of voters was being completed.“Issues like civic education are conducted on continuous basis…it is also important to note that Rwandans have matured in the election procedures. We are in fact on the right track for a successful election,” he said. Parliamentary polls are conducted every after five years and the last election was held in 2008. MP Juliana Kantengwa said that the elections are an important activity in a politically mature country.“MPs set the agenda for the services we need for our wellbeing. This thus calls for carefully choosing the people who will represent you in Parliament,” she said.The number of voters has increased from 5.2 million in 2008 to 6.2 million this year.