The National Electoral Commission has completed a third round of training for volunteers who will help conduct Rwanda’s local government and National Council elections, which begin at village level on October 24.
The training ran from September 28 to October 2 in the Eastern and Northern provinces and the City of Kigali. NEC said it would continue in the Western and Southern provinces the following week. Earlier sessions covered volunteers working at sector and cell levels.
The village vote will determine several roles. Residents will elect a five-member Village Executive Committee, choose a representative to the Cell Council and select two women candidates from whom women councillors will be chosen to ensure women make up at least 30 per cent of the Cell Council.
The five-member executive committee includes the village head and members responsible for security, social and civil affairs, information and public training, and development.
Residents will also elect executive committees for the Village Women’s Council and Village Youth Council, according to the NEC graphic.
The elections are part of a wider process to choose leaders for decentralised local government bodies and executive committees of the National Women’s Council, National Youth Council and National Council of Persons with Disabilities.
The electoral calendar sets village polls for October 24, followed by cell-level elections on October 31 and sector-level elections on November 7.
The broader election period runs through November 30.
NEC staff and volunteers have also been sharing election information during community activities across the country as preparations continue.
Source: Taarifa Rwanda (Rwanda)
