The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has announced that 90% of registered voters participated in elections of advisory committees and representatives of women.
During the elections held yesterday, Rwandans were elected 853 district advisory committee members from among 2,068 candidates.
The executive secretary of NEC, Charles Munyaneza said that polls started at 7:00 am and closed at 3:00 pm at various polling stations, held calmly though the number of voter turn up was low.
“Our report indicates that citizens participated in elections at 90%; even though the number is not enough as we expected. In general, elections were held freely,” he said.
He said voting time was respected even though some would come 30 minutes late over the rain.
District mayors will come from elected members of advisory committees. They will lead for a five year term.
After voting, the Prime Minister, Anastase Murekezi told the media that Rwanda needs local leaders who collaborate with the government to plan and implement development activities.
“We expect good performance from incoming leaders, working closely with citizens, thinking fast, accomplishing well their duties and avoiding laziness. We request them to put efforts towards realizing the Vision 2020 ideals,”he said.
Election observers confirmed that elections were calmly held even though there was a challenge of volatile weather.
The spokesperson of Civil Society in Rwanda, Edouard Munyamariza said that participation in urban settings was low compared to elections in rural areas, but elections were good in general.
The police spokesperson, ACP Célestin Twahirwa said that police officers were deployed to maintain security at various polling stations.
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