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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

RWANDA: 350 foreign observers expected for constitutional referendum

NAIROBI, 9 May 2003 (IRIN) - Rwanda has invited about 350 foreign observers to the 26 May referendum on the constitution, Rwanda News Agency (RNA) reported on Wednesday.

"We sent them invitations in March," Chrisologue Karangwa, the president of the National Electoral Commission, was quoted as saying.

A total of 600 foreign and national observers are expected to monitor the vote.

Karangwa said the accreditation process had begun and that 15 May is the deadline for potential observers to register. He said foreign observers are expected from countries with diplomatic missions in Rwanda, the UN and the African Union, among others organizations.

The European Union, one of the main financiers of the referendum, already has a team of 18 observers in the country. The head of the EU observer mission in Rwanda, Colette Flesch, told IRIN on Wednesday that each of the 12 provinces in the country would have one EU observer, with the remaining six monitoring the elections from the capital, Kigali.

Themes: (IRIN) Governance

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