Paul Kagame is set for a fourth term as electoral authorities declare him the winner of the Rwanda presidential election after garnering 99.15 per cent of the votes.
Kagame has won more than 93% of the vote at each of the three previous elections. 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 Rwandexco 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 was running against two other candidates, Frank Habineza and Philippe Mpayimana, who also challenged him at the last poll in 2017.
