Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has once again set a new personal record by securing more than 99% of the vote in Monday’s elections, according to full provisional results.
At 66 years old, Kagame surpassed his previous election victory in 2017, where he garnered 98.63% of the vote, which was already higher than the 93% he received in 2010 and the 95% in 2003.
While his critics argue that Kagame’s overwhelming majorities are unsurprising given his authoritarian style of governance, his supporters attribute these results to his immense popularity. They credit him with bringing stability and economic growth to Rwanda.
A former rebel commander, Kagame’s forces came to power in 1994, putting an end to a genocide that resulted in the deaths of around 800,000 people in just 100 days.
The electoral commission disqualified at least three presidential hopefuls, including some of Kagame’s most outspoken critics, from participating in the election. Only two candidates were permitted to run against him: Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana. They received 0.53% and 0.32% of the vote, respectively, performing worse than in the 2017 election when their combined vote exceeded 1%.
The voter turnout was notably high, with the Electoral Commission reporting a 98% participation rate.
Clementine de Montjoye of Human Rights Watch (HRW), as reported by the AFP news agency, commented that Kagame’s unprecedented vote share reflects the highly constrained political space for the opposition in Rwanda. She suggested that this outcome does not bode well for those aiming to engage in legitimate and credible opposition activities.
However, Kagame’s victory was celebrated by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who stated that Kagame’s re-election is a “testament to the trust and confidence” the Rwandan people have in his leadership.
Despite ongoing challenges such as high youth unemployment rates, Rwanda remains one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. During his campaign, Kagame pledged to protect Rwanda from “external aggression” amid ongoing tensions with neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
