Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and first lady Jeanette Kagame walk among other invited dignitaries as they arrive to pay homage before lighting the Rwandan genocide flame of hope, known as the “Kwibuka” (Remembering), to commemorate the 1994 Genocide at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center in Kigali, Rwanda April 7, 2024. (Jean Bizimana/REUTERS)
In Rwanda, voters lined up at polling stations on Monday to elect their next president, with 66-year-old incumbent Paul Kagame, who has ruled the central African country for nearly a quarter of a century, expected to cruise to victory.
In the three previous elections in Rwanda, Kagame has won more than 93% of the vote each time. Eight candidates had applied to run against him, but only two were retained in the final list
validated by the electoral commission.
The others, including Kagame’s most vocal critics, were
barred for various reasons that included prior criminal
convictions.
At the polling centre in the capital Kigali people
started queueing 90 minutes before polls opened.
Voter Barimukije Pheneas said he had chosen to re-elect
Kagame, who is praised for rebuilding the country in the
aftermath of the 1994 genocide by prioritising development and
putting in place effective 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.”
Kagame is running against two other candidates, Frank
Habineza and Philippe Mpayimana, who also challenged him at the last poll in 2017.
He is looking to win the endorsement of the more than 9
million eligible voters, who are also electing members of
parliament. Provisional results are expected by July 20.
Motorcycle taxi driver Karangwa Vedaste said the voting
process was calm and peaceful.
“I voted for a leader I trust. The one I voted for is a
secret in my heart. We will share it when he wins,” Vedaste
said.
Kagame won nearly 99% of the vote in the 2017 poll, which
followed a constitutional change removing term limits that would
have prevented him from standing again.
He has won acclaim for transforming Rwanda into a thriving
economy but has also faced criticism from rights activists and
Western nations for muzzling the media, stifling opposition and
backing rebel groups in neighbouring Democratic Republic of
Congo.
Rwanda’s government has denied all the accusations
against it, and while campaigning, Kagame promised continued
development and stability.
Its human rights record was thrown into the spotlight when
Rwanda struck a migration deal in 2022 with the UK to receive
thousands of asylum seekers. Britain’s new government has said
it would scrap the deal.
Source link : https://stratnewsglobal.com/africa/rwanda-elections-for-new-president-today-incumbent-paul-kagame-favoured/
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Publish date : 2024-07-15 06:27:00
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