"When we talk about a free and fair election, we are not talking about the election day. We are not talking about a few hours after the election or before the election. We are looking at the entire social political environment before, during, and after elections. Anyone who has been observing events in Rwanda knows that it is impossible to have free and fair elections, so why do people seriously think of going there to observe elections? Which elections are they going to observe? There is nothing to be observed because what we have is a one man show. What we have is a situation where they have created the so-called opposition. RPF has kicked out all the potential political opposition leaders; they are either in prison, or, they are already dead, or in exile."
What Rwandan exile, writer, blogger, and activist Aimable Mugara, as quoted in Digital Journal and the San Francisco Bay View, National Black Newspaper
“Rwanda’s electoral commission has certified only four candidates,” says Aimable Mugara, a Rwandan exile, writer, blogger and activist now living in Ottawa, Canada, who survived Rwanda’s 1994 massacres. “The candidates are Gen. Kagame and three of his political friends, who have never ever criticized the ruling party for anything. This means that the people of Rwanda have no choice whatsoever. No choice means no election."“Therefore, foreign election observers planning to go to Rwanda to observe the ‘election’ this August are wasting time and money. I would recommend that they stay in their countries and write their reports based on all the insane actions Gen. Kagame’s ruling party has taken since the beginning of this year, actions that make this so-called election null and void.”
I'm now collecting quotations, what Rwandans in country and out, have to say about these "election observers" from the US and the UK, a.k.a., in this case, the Commonwealth, though I know that most Rwandans in country are less than free to speak their own minds.
Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza and the FDU-Inkingi Party are urging Rwandans to boycott the August 9th elections as the US and UK, a.k.a., Commonwealth, prepare to send "observers."
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The world allover knows very well that Kagame is not going to be voted instead he is gonna rig as he did in 2003.I was among the election officers in northern Rwanda when an elderly man stood in Ruhengeri stadium and told him openly and I quote "Nyakubahwa bwana prezida,uzi neza ko abahungu bawe batwiciye abana bakatumaraho namatungo.kuva waza muli ki gihugu ntamahoro twigeze tugira..nzineza ko akababaro mfite ngasangiye nabanyarwanda bose kandi nziko nindangiza kuvuga ibi muranyica ariko ntabwo tuzagutora uko byagenda kose.If I put it in English,Honorable president, you know very well that your soldiers killed our beloved ones and looted our livestock.since the time you invaded Rwanda the people of Rwanda no longer have peace.I know that I share the same feelings with most of Rwandans and I surely know that after speaking your men will kill me but I can conclusively say that the people from this region will not vote for you." That is what happened. the people of Ruhengeri because that is where I was working in Rwanda National Election team, people voted for Twagiramungu Faustin.However at night the RPF military came with other ballot papers which they exchanged with the ones voted by the citizens. It is a work which was done the whole night and when the morning came the observers counted what was there which was not the genuine ones. so observers means nothing since there is no opposition. what are they going to observe?
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