AMANI to organise elections seminar

Ahead of the 2010 presidential elections,a regional parliamentary grouping, AMANI, is formulating strategies on how to engage the masses in order to achieve peaceful elections. Speaking to The New Times ahead of the elections seminar next week, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and the chairperson of the AMANI Rwanda Chapter, Polisi Denis, said there was need to educate masses on the importance of peaceful elections and how to avoid, manage and control conflicts during elections. “The world we live in today seems to have a negative attitude towards election results. Elections have been marred by violence and as members of AMANI, our job is to spread the peace gospel all over the region,” he said The Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace - AMANI Forum, is an initiative of African Parliamentarians in the Great Lakes region committed to peace and to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, both within their own countries and in the region as a whole. The Seminar will be facilitated by presentations from high profile government officials including Ministers Protais Musoni, Tharcisse Karugarama, James Musoni, Ombudsman Tito RUTAREMARA, the Commissioner General of Police, Emmaunel Gasana and the Chairman of National Electoral Commission, Prof. Chrysologue Karangwa. The seminar will be attended by the members of Parliament, Directors of Good Governance on district level, Youth representatives, the National Electoral Commission, the National Women Council, the National Institute of Statistics, and Forum of Political Parties among others. The Forum has established National Chapters in the seven national parliaments of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. A Chapter was established in the East African Legislative Assembly in December 2007. The aim of AMANI is to eliminate armed conflict and promote peace and democratic governance. It recognises that free and fair elections are the definitive processes for legitimising political leaders, establishing and maintaining democratic principles and averting violent conflicts. Ends