Chief Justice Sam Rugege Wednesday swore in two new commissioners of the National Electoral Commission (NEC). The new appointees are Judith Mbabazi and Joyce K. Bamwine. The two were appointed by cabinet April 5. Mbabazi is the secretary-general of Rwanda Law Reform Commission (RLRC) having previously served as a magistrate in different courts. Bamwine is an advisor at Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) and previously worked at Rwanda Law Reform Commission. She also served as a commissioner at the Constitutional Reform Commission in 2015. The new commissioners will, however, not be required to step down from their current positions elsewhere as they will only be providing legal support to the commission between June and September. Rwandans go to the polls on August 3 (Diaspora) and 4 in the country’s third ever multiparty presidential election. The two new commissioners will design a manual for civic education ahead of the polls, officials said. “As stipulated in the constitution, Rwandans have the right to choose their leaders. You have a task to help them freely choose who they want to lead them,” Rugege told the newly sworn-in commissioners. The new NEC commissioners pledged to work hard, not as individuals, but as a team to make sure Rwandans fully exercise their right to choose their leaders. They also committed to ensure the August presidential elections are conducted with transparency, in a free and fair environment. “It is not an easy job but I believe that whatever you do willingly, with courage, and aware of what the country expects from you, you cannot fail,” said Mbabazi. Prof. Kalisa Mbanda, the Chairperson of National Electoral Commission, welcomed the new commissioners and said he expected them to work with their colleagues to deliver on their mandate. “You are filling the gap left behind by the outgoing commissioners who were given other responsibilities’,” Mbanda said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
