Following the invitation by the Government of the Republic of Rwanda and the National Electoral Commission, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat has deployed an African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to the Parliamentary Elections scheduled to place from 2nd - 4th September 2018. The African Union Short Term Election Observation Mission is led by H.E Aichatou Mindaoudou Souleymane, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Niger and comprises thirty (30) election observers drawn from Members of Pan African Parliament, Election Management Bodies, Civil Society Organizations, think thanks and academia.

The AUEOM is in Rwanda since 25th August 2018 and will remain in the country until 9th September 2018. It was preceded by a pre-election assessment mission which was deployed in July 2018 to assess the environment for the conduct of the September 2018 Parliamentary Elections.

The objectives of the AUEOM are to make an independent, objective and impartial assessment of the 2018 Parliamentary Elections and to offer recommendations for improvement of future elections in order to contribute towards consolidation of democratic governance in Rwanda. The AUEOM has a mandate to observe the September 2018 Parliamentary Elections in conformity with the relevant provisions of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which entered into force on 15 February 2012; 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; the African Union Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions of 2002; the relevant international instruments governing elections observation; the Constitution as well as the relevant laws of the Republic of Rwanda.

On 6th September 2018, the AUEOM will release its preliminary findings of the electoral process at a press conference in Kigali. A more detailed final report on the process will be produced later and shared with the appropriate authorities and institutions in Rwanda.

The AUEOM Secretariat is located at Serena hotel in Kigali and can be contacted through:

Mr. Guy Cyrille Tapoko, Head, Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit, Department of Political Affairs, tapokog@africa-union.org Tel: +250 789 034 625

Ms. Afrah Mohamed Thabit, Directorate of Information and Communication thabitma@africa-union.org Tel: +250 782 766 860