The United States has expressed concern about “disturbing events” surrounding last Monday’s presidential election in Rwanda in which the incumbent drew 93 percent of the votes. The National Security Council said in a statement on Friday that progress has been made in Rwanda since the 1994 genocide of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. “We remain concerned, however, about a series of disturbing events prior to the election, including the suspension of two newspapers, the expulsion of a human rights researcher, the barring of two opposition parties from taking part in the election, and the arrest of journalists,” said the statement, which was issued by the council’s spokesman, Mike Hammer.
The statement did not congratulate the incumbent, Paul Kagame, for his re-election. His nearest rival, Jean Damascene Ntawukuliryayo of the Social Democratic Party, won 5 percent of the vote, according to final election results released Wednesday.
Rwanda’s stability and prosperity will be difficult to sustain without broad political debate and open political participation, Mr. Hammer said.
Critics say the Rwandan election campaign was marred by government repression. Human rights groups pointed to mounting violence during the period before the election after the fatal shooting of a local journalist and the killing of an opposition official who was found nearly beheaded in July. The government denied involvement.
“Democracy is about more than holding elections,” Mr. Hammer said. “A democracy reflects the will of the people, where minority voices are heard and respected, where opposition candidates run on the issues without threat or intimidation, where freedom of expression and freedom of the press are protected.”
The statement also said that the council had “expressed our concerns to the government of Rwanda, and we hope the leadership will take steps toward more democratic governance, increased respect for minority and opposition views, and continued peace.”
Source: New York Times
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