Kagame Wins Fourth Term with 99.15% Vote
President Paul Kagame has won 99% of the vote in provisional results from Monday’s presidential election in Rwanda, according to electoral authorities. This outcome was widely expected as Kagame, the long-time ruler, aims to extend his three-decade grip on power.
Kagame’s opponents, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, collectively received less than 1% of the vote in provisional results, which account for 79% of all ballots cast. This result mirrors the 2017 election, when Kagame also secured nearly 99% of the vote.
Final results are anticipated by July 27, though they may be announced sooner. The 66-year-old Kagame has held power since the end of the country’s genocide in 1994 and was running virtually unopposed in this election. Two of his stronger critics were barred from running for high office.
Long lines were seen at some polling stations in the capital, Kigali. Election authorities reported that 9.5 million Rwandans were registered to vote out of the country’s 14 million population.
Jean Claude Nkurunziza, a passenger motorcyclist, expressed his support, saying, “This is going to be my first time to vote. I am voting for President Kagame because I have never seen a leader like him before.”
Kagame has led Rwanda since he seized power as the head of rebels who took control of the government and ended the genocide in 1994. He was vice president and de facto leader from 1994 to 2000, when he officially became president. His leadership has been criticized as violent and authoritarian, yet he has also been praised for overseeing significant growth in Rwanda since the genocide.
Among African leaders, Kagame has extended his rule by changing term limits. In a 2015 referendum, Rwandans voted to lift a two-term limit, potentially allowing Kagame to remain in power until 2034. On Saturday, he told journalists that his mandate comes from the people, stating, “The ruling party and Rwandans have been asking me to stand for another mandate. At a personal level, I can comfortably go home and rest.”
The election occurred amid heightened fears of insecurity in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Rebels known as M23 are fighting Congolese forces in eastern Congo. Between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan forces are reportedly fighting alongside M23, according to a United Nations report. The U.S. government has described M23 as being backed by Rwanda, while Rwanda accuses Congo’s military of recruiting fighters involved in the genocide.
Rights groups have raised alarms over restrictions on human rights in Rwanda, including freedom of association. Amnesty International recently expressed concern over threats, arbitrary detention, prosecution on trumped-up charges, killings, and enforced disappearances targeting the political opposition. The organization stated that the suppression of dissenting voices, including among civic groups and the media, “has a chilling effect and limits the space for debate for people of Rwanda.”
