RWANDA NEC continues with BRIDGE Courses

Rwanda National Electoral Commission (NEC) with the financial assistance of UNDP is currently implementing the long-term professional development program using the BRIDGE curriculum for its staff and NEC volunteers. In order to run smoothly the upcoming elections: Local government elections in 2016, Presidential elections in 2017, Parliamentarian elections in 2018 and Senatorial elections in 2019, NEC Rwanda has identified staff and some election volunteers at District levels to participate in BRIDGE Introduction to administration module.

The Introduction module was conducted by accredited level facilitator Rindai Chipfunde VAVA and two local Semi accredited level facilitators MUKARUMASHANA Lucie and KWITONDA Jean Baptiste from 29 April 2015 to 03 May 2015, in Musanze, Rwanda. In total 19 participants (six of them were female) attended the workshop.

The following topics were covered:

–          Free and fair elections;

–          Guiding principles of Election Management

–          Code of Conduct for EMBs;

–          Introduction to EMBs;

–          International electoral standards

–          Introduction to the electoral systems

–          EMBs Stakeholders

–          Types of Public outreach

–          Voter/Civic education Principles

–          Access to the Electoral process

–          Polling environment and materials

–          Roles of observers

–          Gender and elections

–          Quotas etc

Participant feedback from the workshop was very positive and they were enthusiastic and committed in imparting and implementing the skills and knowledge gained from the BRIDGE training. One participant noted that “I have realised that this course is very important to every staff who is working in the field of   elections.”

NEC Rwanda plans to continue enhancing the professionalism of their staff and different stakeholders using the BRIDGE curriculum