2010 Rwanda Elections - Final Report

At the invitation of the Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission of Rwanda, Prof Dr Chrysologue Karangwa, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr Kamalesh Sharma, constituted an Observer Group for the Rwanda Presidential Elections scheduled for 9 August 2010.

In line with usual practice, the Secretary-General sent an Assessment Mission to Rwanda to assess the prevailing situation as well as the pre-electoral environment, prior to his final decision on whether to constitute a Commonwealth Observer Group. The Assessment Mission was in Rwanda from 17 – 23 April 2010. The Group was led by H.E. Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, who served for 12 years as Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and is also a former Prime Minister of Tanzania, and comprised thirteen eminent persons in total. The Observer Group was supported by a five-member staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat.