Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is set to extend his leadership by another five years following a commanding election victory. Partial results announced by the National Election Commission on Monday revealed that Kagame received 99.15% of the vote. With 79% of the ballots counted, this outcome solidifies his control, which began as the de facto leader after the 1994 genocide and officially as president since 2000.
It surpasses the 98.79% Kagame received in the 2017 election and is significantly higher than the votes garnered by the only two other authorized candidates the Democratic Green Party’s Frank Habineza and independent Philippe Mpayimana. Habineza secured second place with 0.53% of the vote, while Mpayimana received 0.32%
Approximately 9 million out of Rwanda’s 14 million citizens were registered to vote in the latest election, marking an increase of 2 million from the previous cycle, according to the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
NEC Chairwoman Oda Gasinzigwa noted the presence of more than 300 international observers and about 700 local observers monitoring the election.
Critics attribute Kagame’s victory, at age 66, to his heavy-handed governance and suppression of dissent. Monday’s poll outcome was predictable, as Kagame stifled opposition voices and barring several prominent critics from participating in the race.
However, analysts also credit his leadership in steering the East African nation toward internal peace since the 1994 genocide, which saw an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed by Hutu extremists.
