Paul Kagame seeks fourth term as president

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who is equally feared and admired, is seeking to extend his 24-year rule in an election that analysts say he is set to win in a landslide.

Since becoming president in 2000, he has governed with more than 90% of the vote in every election. In 2017 they gained a whopping 99%.

Mr Kagame, 66, is accused of not allowing any protests and ruthlessly targeting his critics even outside the country.

He faces two contenders who have been accepted to contest the election – with alternative applicants vetted through the state-run electoral commission.

President Kagame has been at the top of Rwandan politics since his rebel forces took power following the 1994 genocide that killed about 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Since then, he has been praised for overseeing Pastoral’s dramatic financial revival and uniting Pastoral.

Dr Felix Ndahinda, a student from the Splendid Lakes region, told the BBC, “Rwanda was essentially exterminated 30 years ago – but thanks in part to the leadership of Kagame and his ruling party, Rwanda has managed to create some stability. was successful.”

Mr Kagame has always fiercely defended Rwanda’s reports on human rights and said his country valued political freedom.

However one analyst told the BBC that the election used to be an unimportant “formality”.

In line with the electoral framework, approximately 9 million are registered to vote in the country, and at least 2 million are first-time citizens.

A provisional winner should be identified by Tuesday morning.

Voters will elect the president and 53 members of the lower house of parliament on Monday, while 27 other MPs will be elected.

“I’m so excited to vote for the first time, I can’t wait,” Sylvia Mutoni told the BBC.

For many young Rwandans, Mr. Kagame is the only leader they have ever recognized.

Even Vice President and Defense Minister from 1994 to 2000, he was the country’s de facto leader, and has been President since 2000.

Two opposition candidates – Frank Habinza of the Democratic Green Party and visionary Philip Mapeimana – both ran in the 2017 election, where they received just over 1% of the vote between them.

However, they are relaxed.

Mr Habaneza cast his vote in the capital Kigali on Monday morning and told Newshound the election was “a good demonstration of democracy in our country”.

He said he hoped his party could get 20 MPs – 10 times the number of seats his party got in the 2017 elections.

“I believe democracy is a process,” he told the BBC’s Focus on Africa podcast ahead of the election.

He said, “People still have a fear of expressing their opinions. I am fighting for freedom of expression, freedom of media.”

And some Rwandans are paying attention. One voter told the BBC he would no longer vote for the current president.

Celestin Mutuyezu, 28, is set to support Mr Kagame, even though the election has been overshadowed by Mr Habinza.

“He said some very good things about fighting unemployment, and he understood me,” she said.

But defeating President Kagame may prove difficult.

Diane Rwigara, a vocal critic of the President, was barred from running in the election. He was also disqualified in 2017.

“Rwanda is portrayed as a country where the economy is growing. But on the ground, it is different. People lack the basic amenities of life, food, water, shelter,” he told the BBC. “

The Election Commission said that she failed to provide the correct documents.

Although the country struggles with high rates of youth unemployment, it has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.

Mr Kagame is credited with leading Rwanda’s remarkable economic transformation and stability over the past three decades.

Rwanda is known globally for its clean capital and the world’s highest number of female parliamentarians (61%).

Rwanda, Inc. In the book, American authors Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond describe Mr. Kagame as more of a company CEO than a political leader because of “his drive for excellence” in every sector of the country.

He is also a shrewd politician.

Despite often criticizing the West, he tries to cultivate useful allies – for example by working with Britain on a now-abandoned plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Rwanda is also showcasing its soft power on the international stage, building its appeal through sports, culture and entertainment.

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