I. INTRODUCTION
1. The Republic of Rwanda held its general elections from 14 to 16 July 2024 to elect a President and Members of the Chamber of Deputies.
2. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat and the Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), H.E Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, deployed a joint African Union-Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Election Observation Mission (AU-COMESA EOM) led by His Excellency Jorge Carlos De Almeida Fonseca, Former President of Cabo Verde and Right Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda and a Member of the COMESA Committee of Elders. The Mission leadership was supported by H.E Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (CPAPS). The joint Mission comprised of 48 Short-Term Observers (STOs). The observers were drawn from African Ambassadors accredited to the African Union (AU), the Pan African Parliament (PAP), Election Management Bodies (EMBs), Independent Electoral and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from 16 African countries which include Benin, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was supported by the technical team from the African Union Commission, COMESA Secretariat, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) and two independent electoral experts.
3. The Mission was charged with the responsibility of observing and reporting on the preparation and conduct of the electoral process in line with the relevant international instruments for democratic elections including: the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance (ACDEG), COMESA Guidelines on the Conduct of COMESA Election Observer Missions; and the legal framework for elections in Rwanda.
4. Nineteen (19) teams of observers were deployed in pairs to the five (5) regions and 19 districts to observe the final phases of the electoral campaigns, election days and limited post-election activities. The Mission also engaged with key electoral stakeholders including the National Electoral Commission of Rwanda (NEC), Representatives of Government, Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Political Parties, Civil Society Organisations, Members of the African Diplomatic Corps, The United Nations (UN) and The European Union (EU), with a view to better understand the political, institutional and social context relating to the elections.
5. Through this Preliminary Statement, the Mission offers a summary of its key findings, conclusions and recommendations on the electoral process up to the closing and counting of the polls. This statement is issued while the collation of election results is still ongoing. The Mission will continue to closely follow the electoral process and provide a final report 30 days from the date of announcement of final results.