Polls a new step forward, but EU notes irregularities

Rwanda's first post-genocide presidential election, though peaceful, was marred by numerous irregularities, the EU Observer Mission in Rwanda reported on Wednesday. "I would consider the election to be free and democratic but as far as we can judge, the optimal conditions were probably not entirely met," Colette Flesch, head of the EU mission, told reporters in Kigali, the capital. Reading from a prepared statement, she said: "There was illegal manipulation of the voter lists. There were significant differences between the number of counted ballot papers and the number of people on the voters' register, which could probably mean that there incidences of ballot stuffing." The EU delegation also reported that the run-up to the polls was characterised by intimidation of supporters of the main opposition candidate, Faustin Twagiramungu, and "pressure" on them to vote for Rwanda Patriotic Front candidate Paul Kagame. "People handing out ballot papers were in some polling stations indicating to the voters who to vote for," Flesch said. "In other cases Kagame's representatives took charge of the polling stations, intimidating both the electoral officials and the voters themselves." Kagame won 95.05 percent of the votes, Twagiramungu 3.62 percent and Jean Nepomuscene Nayinzira 1.33 percent. Twagiramungu and Nayinzira have also claimed that Kagame's agents have harassed their supporters and intimidated them into voting for the incumbent. However Flesch, Twagiramungu and Nayinzira did not say what form the intimidation took. The EU mission also said that contrary to the law, Kagame used government vehicles and buildings during his campaigns. The EU accused Kagame of buying voters with promises of livestock, such as goats and cows, during the campaign. Twagiramungu welcomed the EU report but said: "The report tells the truth but I doubt it will have any impact. There seems to be a wide approval of Kagame's victory on the diplomatic front." But the National Electoral Commission dismissed the report accusing the EU of bias. "The report is only one sided which is based on unrehearsed material. Why couldn’t these observers consult us before making the findings public?" Christopher Karangwa, president of the commission, told reporters. "There’s no doubt that this report is geared at damaging the transparency with which our elections were conducted," he said. The South African and African Union observer teams endorsed the polls as "free and fair and a reflection of the will of Rwandan people". Also, in a wide-ranging interview granted the privately owned Ugandan newspaper, the Monitor, Kagame denied charges of an unfair campaign and poll. "You go to villages and ask them; if you find any district that says it predominantly voted for Twagiramungu, if you find a village complaining how did we lose, then you have a reason to suspect something. "Or if they say here there was something like rigging, then you have reason to suspect and that can be investigated. So, for me, it is a very straightforward thing," Kagame told the Kampala daily.