AFRICAN UNION ELECTIONS OBSERVATION MISSION ON THE OCCASION OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA, 16 SEPTEMBER 2013

ARRIVAL STATEMENT

At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Rwanda, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has deployed an African Union Elections Observation Mission (AUEOM) to observe the Republic of Rwanda’s Parliamentary Elections scheduled for 16 September 2013.

The African Union has a mandate to observe the 16 September 2013 Parliamentary Elections in Rwanda in line with the relevant provisions of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which entered into force on 15 February 2012, and which is intended to enhance electoral processes in Africa, strengthen electoral institutions and the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections; the AU/OAU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (AHG/Decl.1 (XXXVIII), adopted by the Assembly of the African Union in July 2002; and the African Union Guidelines for Election Observation and Monitoring Missions (2002).

The AU Mission is led by Justice Rita Makarau, Chairperson of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. The mission comprises of thirty (30) experienced observers drawn from the Pan-African Parliament, African Ambassadors/Permanent Representatives to the African Union in Addis Ababa, African Election Management Bodies, and Civil Society Organizations in Africa. The observers arrived in Rwanda on 9 September 2013 and will remain until 21 September 2013.The Mission is assisted by a group of experts from the African Union Commission, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA).

As part of its activities, the AU Mission will interact with relevant stakeholders in Rwanda, including government authorities, the Electoral Commission, political parties, and civil society organizations. The Mission will observe the remaining stages of the electoral process, including campaigning, voting, counting and result tabulation. The Mission will release a Preliminary Statement after Polling Day at a Press Conference at Umubano Hotel in Kigali. After that, the Mission will produce a more detailed report, including recommendations for improvement of future elections, which will be shared with the appropriate authorities in Rwanda and will be posted also in the website of the African Union Commission. Observations and recommendations of the Mission will be based on the credibility, transparency, fairness and the effective organization of the elections from which the Mission will express its views.

The African Union Elections Observation Mission wishes to thank the Government and people of Rwanda for the measures taken to facilitate its work.

The Secretariat of the Mission is based at Umubano Hotel in Kigali. For further information, please contact the Mission Coordinator: Mr. Idrissa Kamara, +250789527779, e-mail: kamarai@africa-union.org