High turnout in local elections

Local elections went into a second day today, after they were suspended in parts of the country yesterday due to heavy rain. Rwandan radio reported a high turnout throughout the country and described the process as “positive”. The Rwanda News Agency (RNA) quoted the prefect of Kigali as saying there had been a “massive” response in the capital. There was high security in the troubled northwest prefecture of Gisenyi to avoid trouble by “infiltrators”. Fifty people were jailed in the prefecture’s Mutura commune for refusing to take part in the poll, RNA said. Rwandans and foreigners are voting to elect officials at the lowest “cellule” level. Tomorrow they will elect officials at the next level, that of “secteur”.