Kigali, Rwanda, 2nd September 2018: Voting has begun in Rwanda's parliamentary elections, on Sunday, 2nd September 2018, where voters will elect legislators for the 80-seat Chamber of Deputies, 24 of which are reserved for women, two for youth candidates and one for the people with disabilities (PWDs), for a five year term.

The voting of More than seven million registered voters will take place from 2-4 September at 2,500 polling stations across the East African nation. Members of the Parliament will be elected at different times by their electoral colleges, with one MP representing PWDs getting elected today (September 2), while 24 MPs representing women and two MPs representing the youth will be elected on Tuesday September 4.

Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM), H.E Mrs. Aichatou Mindaoudou Souleymane, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Niger told journalists yesterday in Kigali as AU observers boarded their vehicles to different parts of the country that all the conditions are met for the organization of the elections in the country.

The observers were deployed across provinces of the country and will be checking on whether the elections are freely conducted. The AUEOM observers will witness opening and closing processes in the polling stations and observe the voting process in the polling stations across the country. Final results are expected to be announced on September 16.

Following the invitation of the Rwandan National Electoral Commission, H. E Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission authorized the deployment of an AU elections observation mission in the Republic of Rwanda.

Headed by H.E. Aichatou Mindaoudou Souleymane, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Niger, the AUEOM is in Rwanda since 25th August 2018 and will remain in the country until 9th September 2018. Its mission is mainly to provide an accurate and impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of the Parliamentary Elections, including the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards.

The AUEOM draws its mandate from various African Union instruments, including (a) the African Union Guidelines for Electoral Observation and Monitoring Missions (2002); (b) the OUA/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (2002); African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (1981) and (c) African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007), among others.

AUEOM is expected to present its preliminary statement at a press conference, at a Serena Kigali Hotel on 6 September 2018 at 3:00 pm.

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

For further information:

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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