Voting nears in Rwanda amid possibility of Kagame’s fourth term. election notice

Polls have closed in Rwanda’s presidential and parliamentary elections and vote counting has begun, with African patriarch Paul Kagame expected to win as he tries to extend his strong rule for another five years. Are.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT) on Monday and closed at 3 p.m. local time (13:00 GMT) in the East African country, where more than 9 million people live, AFP news reported. Are registered to participate. company.

Kagame, who has been Rwanda’s de facto leader for three years, is almost certain to be booked for the presidency, fending off only two challengers after Rwanda’s courts barred his most prominent critics.

This approach mirrors the last election in 2017, when Kagame ruled over his opponents with nearly 99 percent of the vote.

At the Rwandesco polling station in the capital Kigali, Barimukije Fenis said he would vote for the 66-year-old incumbent.

“We voted smoothly without any crowds and we are happy,” Phineas told Reuters.

“I voted for Paul Kagame because he has achieved so much for us; He united us.”

Bike taxi driver Karangwa Vedaste told Reuters the voting process was peaceful and non-violent, although he declined to say who they chose.

“I voted for the leader I trust. Who I voted for is a secret in my heart. When he wins we will share it,” Vedaste said.

Who is dealing with Kagame?

Rwanda’s Democratic Green Party leader Frank Habinza and isolate Philippe Mpayimana were the only two candidates authorized to run against Kagame out of eight candidates.

Rwandan courts have filed unwanted appeals to overturn the previous convictions of key opposition figures Bernard Ntaganda and Victoire Ingabire, which had successfully disqualified them from the race.

The National Electoral Commission also barred high-profile Kagame critic Dianne Rwigara, highlighting her functioning issues – within the second hour she was barred from running.

Ahead of the election, rights team Amnesty Global said Rwanda’s opposition faced “severe restrictions… as well as threats, arbitrary detentions, prosecutions, trumped-up charges, killings and enforced disappearances”.

Kagame’s legacy

With 65 percent of the country’s population under the age of 30, Kagame – who is running for president for the fourth time – is Rwanda’s only leader to have been recognized so far.

The 66-year-old is credited with rebuilding a hurt family after the 1994 genocide carried out by Hutu militias that killed about 800,000 people, mostly Tutsi and also Hutu centrists.

However, his regime is widely criticized by rights groups as autocratic, subjecting the media and political opposition to arbitrary detentions, killings, and enforced disappearances.

Elsewhere, he is accused of fomenting instability in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, where a UN report says Rwandan troops are fighting alongside M23 rebels in the restive east. Kigali has denied the allegations.

Kagame has also overseen controversial constitutional amendments that reduced the presidential term from seven to five years and reset the clock for Rwanda’s leader, allowing him to rule until 2034.

But despite his many critics, Kagame enjoys admirable backup at home, with economic growth rates averaging 7.2pc between 2012 and 2022 and infrastructure progress including hospitals and roads.

“He has made great achievements, he has helped our children go to school, increased the number of teachers, he has given us Health insurance is also provided. on Saturday.

Phil Clark, schoolmaster of global politics at the College of London, told Al Jazeera that the Rwandan public has mixed feelings about Kagame and his ruling party.

“It is the country with the most powerful welfare safety net in the region, so people feel available in terms of health care and education. But, people are also concerned about government control and restrictions on freedom of expression.

parallel parliamentary elections

For the first hour, Rwanda’s parliamentary elections are taking place alongside the presidential vote, with more than 500 candidates competing for 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

Of these, 53 are elected through general suffrage. The RPF currently has 40 seats and its allies have 11 seats, with Life Habibinja’s Green Party having two MPs.

Another 24 seats are reserved for women, two for teenagers and one for the handicapped society. All applicants for those seats must be screened out, and indirect elections could be hung on Tuesday.