Rwanda’s Kagame secures fourth term with over 99% of votes
President of Rwanda Paul Kagame is set to extend his rule over the East African nation after securing over 99% of votes in the July 15 elections.
Following the announcement of the partial results by the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Kagame whose reelection was never in doubt looked to have won 99.15% of the votes cast.
He took a landslide lead after the NEC announced 78.94% of the votes hours after polls had closed.
The two other candidates Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana won 0.53% and 0.32% respectively.
The final results of the presidential and parliamentary elections will be announced no later than the 27th of July, the NEC announced.
Kagame, a former military leader, has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He first came to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which played a crucial role in ending the 1994 genocide that resulted in the deaths of over a million Tutsis.
Kagame has been re-elected multiple times (2000, 2003, 2010, and 2017). His presidency has seen significant controversy regarding electoral fairness, with landslide victories in elections criticised by rights groups and observers.
In the 2017 election, he received over 98% of the vote. The referendum lifted the previous constitutional limit on presidential terms, allowing Kagame to potentially remain in power until 2034.
