Rwanda President Secures Fourth Term with 99% Vote Share

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has secured a fourth term with an overwhelming vote share exceeding 99%.

According to the Rwanda National Electoral Commission, early results from the presidential election held on the 15th (local time) show that incumbent President Kagame secured an overwhelming 99.15% of the vote, extending his term by another five years. Frank Habineza, the candidate from the opposition Democratic Green Party (DGP), received 0.53%, while independent candidate Philippe Umpayimana garnered 0.32% of the votes.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

This figure surpasses Kagame’s 98.79% vote share in the 2017 presidential election. The final vote count will be announced on the 27th, with provisional results released earlier on the 20th. Voter turnout for this election was reported to be as high as 98%.

At 66 years old, President Kagame’s victory was widely anticipated. Prominent opponents who have criticized him were imprisoned on charges such as terrorism and incitement to rebellion, preventing them from running in the election. Moreover, the two candidates who did run previously received less than 1% of the vote in the last election. Previously, Kagame dominated his competitors with over 93% of the vote in the 2003, 2010, and 2017 elections.

Rwanda amended its constitution in 2015 to reduce the presidential term from seven to five years and to allow one re-election. Accordingly, if re-elected, President Kagame could remain in office until 2034.

Bloomberg reported that President Kagame has faced criticism for human rights abuses, restricting political competition, and suppressing the press. AFP noted that while Kagame has been credited with rebuilding the nation scarred by the Rwandan genocide, he has also been criticized for authoritarian domestic rule and fostering instability in neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo. Under Kagame’s leadership, Rwanda recorded an average annual growth rate of around 7% from 2012 to 2022, but according to the World Bank (WB), nearly half of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day.

Meanwhile, this election was held concurrently with parliamentary elections for the first time in history. Of the 53 seats elected by direct vote, the ruling RPF is currently estimated to have won 40 seats, pro-government forces 11 seats, and the DGP 2 seats.