Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is set to extend his 24-year rule for another five years with a landslide victory, with most votes being counted from Monday’s election.
Partial results released by the Election Commission show that he has received 99.15% of the votes so far, and about 79% of the votes have been counted.
The 66-year-old once again faced no meaningful opposition, with major figures banned. His two opponents received less than 1% of the vote.
Mr Kagame thanked Rwandans for their trust in him in a speech delivered at the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) party headquarters.
“These are not just numbers, even if it’s 100%, these are not just numbers. [They] Show trust, that’s the most important thing,” Mr Kagame said.
His opponents – environmentalist Frank Habineza and journalist and author Philippe Mpayimana – received 0.53% and 0.32% of the vote respectively.
Full provisional results will be announced on July 20 and final results on July 27.
The results are not surprising.
They mirror the results of the 2017 election, when the same candidates ran – Mr Kagame won with 98.8% of the vote.
At least three contestants were disqualified, including Diane Rwigara, an outspoken critic Mr Kagame’s.
The election commission said 98% of more than 9.5 million eligible voters took part in the election.
They vote for a president and 53 legislators.
Elections for 27 special seats for women, young people and persons with disabilities will be held on Tuesday.
Mr Kagame has been Rwanda’s de facto leader since the end of the genocide in 1994 and president since 2000.
Human rights groups accuse him of restricting freedoms since taking office, while his supporters say he has presided over economic growth and helped end racial divisions.
