Preparation for Rwanda presidential elections in high gear: Electoral Commission

Rwanda National Electoral Commission (NEC) has announced that the Rwanda presidential elections will be held in August 2017 and the preparations are in high gear.

The small central African country will go to the polls for presidential elections on August 4th for its third time since the end of the ex-genocidal regime in 1994.

Speaking to Xinhua on Monday, Charles Munyaneza, Executive Secretary of NEC said that the dates for presidential elections have been confirmed and the first phase of updating voter registers was complete.

"Rwandans abroad will cast their votes on August 3, and Rwandan residents will follow suit on August 4. Trainings for specific categories of people who will participate in elections like youth, women, media and people with disabilities are underway," he added.

Munyaneza explained that the final stage of preparation will be announcing the final list of contesting parties and persons in July 2017. The parties will then begin serious crossing of the country to solicit votes from the electorate.

"The electoral commission is doing what it takes to ensure a free and fair election where all eligible voters participate in electing their favorite presidential candidate," he said.

According to NEC, voter registers will again be updated in May 2017, and a final register will be issued in July 2017. About 6.6 million Rwandans are currently registered as voters, an increase of 1.4 million from 2010 presidential elections.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is expected to seek a third term in 2017, after the approval of constitutional changes that could allow him to run for another term in office.

Kagame has been president since 2000, and was then elected in 2003 and 2010.

The 2017 presidential elections is projected to cost approximately 6.9 million U.S. dollars. Endit