KIGALI - The Civil Society Election Observation Mission (CSEOM) has announced that Monday’s presidential election was conducted in a transparent and conducive atmosphere. This was revealed yesterday by the chief observer and spokesperson of the Rwanda Civil Society Platform, Eugene Rwibasira, during a press conference at Laico Umubano Hotel. “According to the information from our teams, the election procedures were respected, both during the campaigns and on election day,” he said. Rwibasira paid tribute to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), which he said, demonstrated a high level of organisation and timekeeping throughout the election season, and putting in place numerous polling stations which enhanced accessibility. He also applauded all the four presidential candidates for building their platforms around issues of national interest, rather than divisive messages as some have done in the past. He described this as an indication of maturity on the part of political parties operating in the country. The civil society official noted that the Election Day was characterized by calmness and order, and that the voter turnout was impressive. Rwibasira pointed out that the voting procedures, counting, tallying and consolidation of results were simpler and clearer this time around, compared to the 2008 parliamentary elections. He said the counting and consolidation of votes at polling centres, districts and national level was transparent and easy to monitor. Some of the new practices were introduced by the new Electoral Code, which took into considerations some of the recommendations of observers of the previous elections.He also indicated that the public media outlets offered equal space and airtime to all the four candidates, as provided for by the Electoral Code. Security, Rwibasira said, was also assured during the campaigning period and on the polling day. Ends
