The 66-year-old authoritarian leader is running virtually unopposed. Provisional results were expected later on Monday.
Kagame’s opponents in the election are Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, the same rivals he faced in the 2017 election where he secured nearly 99% of the vote. Despite their challenges in attracting supporters during the campaign, Habineza expressed optimism, telling The Associated Press that his party “has improved, and we are confident we will perform very well this time.”
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 population of 14 million.
“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,” said Jean Claude Nkurunziza, a passenger motorcyclist.
Kagame has been at the helm of the East African nation since leading rebels to seize power and end the genocide in 1994. He served as vice president and de facto leader from 1994 to 2000 before becoming president.
Kagame is a contentious figure, condemned by many as a violent authoritarian but praised by others for presiding over impressive economic growth since the genocide.
Kagame is among African leaders who have extended their rule by amending term limits. In 2015, Rwandans voted in a referendum to lift the two-term limit, potentially allowing Kagame to remain in power until 2034. On Saturday, he told journalists that his mandate comes from the people. “The ruling party and Rwandans have been asking me to stand for another mandate,” he said. “At a personal level, I can comfortably go home and rest.”
The election occurs amid heightened insecurity in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Rebels known as M23 are clashing with Congolese forces in a remote area of neighboring eastern Congo. Between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan troops are reportedly fighting alongside M23, according to a recent UN report. The U.S. government has accused Rwanda of backing the rebel group. Rwanda, in turn, accuses Congo’s military of recruiting fighters who were involved in the genocide.
Rights groups continue to voice concerns over harsh restrictions on human rights in Rwanda. Amnesty International recently highlighted “threats, arbitrary detention, prosecution on trumped-up charges, killings and enforced disappearances” targeting the political opposition, adding that the suppression of dissenting voices limits the space for public debate in Rwanda.
Source: AP
