According to preliminary figures revealed late Monday evening, Rwandan President Paul Kagame won the presidential election with 99% of the vote.
The country’s electoral board announced that Kagame had won 99% of the 79% of ballots counted so far.
The president, who has been in office in various capacities since 1994, won by a similar margin in 2017.
People patiently waited in line beginning at 7 a.m. local time Monday to cast their ballots, saying they were excited to fulfil their civic duty.
Some said that they wanted a leader who could deliver on the population’s desires. Others stated that they had seen progress and would vote for it to continue.
He is credited for an average 7.2% economic growth rate from 2012 to 2022, as well as the building of infrastructure such as hospitals and roads.
Voter Barimukije Pheneas stated that he opted to re-elect Kagame, who is commended for rebuilding the country following the 1994 genocide by prioritizing development and implementing good social services.
“We voted smoothly without any crowding, and we are happy,” Pheneas said.
“I voted for Paul Kagame because he has achieved a lot for us; he united us.”he added
BREAKING: Paul Kagame wins Rwanda presidential election with 99.1% of votes cast, the nation’s electoral body says.
Kagame has been in office since 2000 and this will be his fourth term pic.twitter.com/kUEfPjIdlb
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) July 15, 2024
Kagame has faced widespread criticism abroad for arbitrarily imprisoning political opponents, as well as arbitrary killings and enforced disappearances.
He has also been accused of inciting unrest in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a recent UN assessment claims Rwandan troops are fighting alongside M23 rebels in the volatile east.
With over 65% of Rwanda’s population under the age of 30, Kagame has been the country’s sole leader for much of its history. He has enacted contentious new legislation that will allow him to rule until at least 2034.
For weeks, his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)’s formidable propaganda arm has been working overtime as judges rejected requests by key opposition members Bernard Ntaganda and Victoire Ingabire to have previous convictions removed, essentially excluding them from running.
Also Read; Kagame Follows Ruto’s Footsteps Towards Pan-Africanism