Rwanda’s Kagame on track for win of fourth presidential term

With 79% of the ballots counted, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has won more than 99% of the vote during Monday’s (15 July) presidential election, according to electoral authorities, putting him on course to serve a fourth term as the country’s leader.

Kagame has won every election since 2000 and he is set for a fourth term in office, an outcome that was widely expected as the east African country’s long-time ruler aims to extend this three-decade grip on power. A total of three candidates are vying for the presidency in Rwanda and Kagame’s opponents — Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana — have so far collectively won only under 1% of the vote in provisional results. After two of his stronger critics were blocked from running for high office, this year’s result mirrors the outcome Kagame achieved in 2017, when he took nearly 99% of the vote.

In a recent campaign rally, Kagame told supporters a lot has been done but more is possible if they choose him again. He has been praised for rebuilding a traumatized nation after the 1994 genocide, and he has remained popular among Rwandans for overseeing economic growth rates of an average of 7.2% between 2012 and 2022 and the development of critical infrastructure including hospitals and roads.

At the same time, however, the 66-year-old leader has also been accused of governing in a climate of fear at home and criticized for stirring instability in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by allegedly sending between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan forces there to fight alongside M23 rebels. Final results are expected by 27 July, although they could be announced sooner.