Monday, 12th August. 2024
Author: Charles Opendi (Ugandan)
Rwanda.
Aljazeera News. 11 Aug 2024
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has ruled the small African nation since the 1994 genocide [File: Ludovic Marin/AFP]
President Paul Kagame secures another five years in power, pledging to "consolidate national unity" amid criticism from the opposition, which highlights the other side of the coin. Several dozen heads of state and other dignitaries from African nations attended the inauguration ceremony on Sunday at a packed 45,000-seat stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.
Background
General elections were conducted in Rwanda on July 15, 2024, to elect the president and members of the Chamber of Deputies, according to BBC News reports by Danai Nesta Kupemba on July 18, 2024.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame broke his record by winning the elections with more than 99% of the votes in the final results. His supporters attribute his victory to his immense popularity, with Rwanda having achieved stability and economic growth under his rule. His victory was praised by Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who said his re-election was a "testament to the trust and confidence" Rwandans have in his leadership.
The 66-year-old won the 2017 election with 98.63% of the vote, higher than the 93% he received in 2010 and the 95% in 2003. This is a remarkable victory, but not without concerns from the opposition and other global players.
Electoral outcomes and Inauguration.
The outcome of the July 15 poll, which saw a high voter turnout of 98%, according to the electoral commission, was never in doubt for Kagame, who has ruled the small African nation since its 1994 genocide, first as de facto leader and then as president.
He won 99.18% of the ballots cast to secure another five years in power, according to the National Electoral Commission.
Crowds started gathering early Sunday morning (August 11, 2024), which was Inauguration Day.
Oppositions share.
Only two candidates were authorized to run against Kagame out of eight applicants, with several prominent critics of Kagame barred. The electoral commission disqualified at least three presidential aspirants, including the president's most vocal critics, from contesting.
Democratic Green Party leader Frank Habineza secured second place with 0.5% of the votes, compared to 0.32% for independent Philippe Mpayimana.
DRC ceasefire talks and the other side of the coin.
Kagame is credited with rebuilding a ruined nation after the genocide, during which members of the Hutu majority unleashed 100 days of attacks targeting the Tutsi minority, killing about 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis but also Hutu moderates.
However, rights activists and opponents have said Kagame rules in a climate of fear, crushing any dissent through intimidation, arbitrary detentions, killings, and disappearances. "Kagame's unprecedented score of over 99% in the election should be seen as a reflection of just how limited the political space for the opposition is in Rwanda today," Clementine de Montjoye of the campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) told AFP.
The outcome "does not bode well for anyone seeking to engage in legitimate and credible opposition activities," she added.
Kigali is also accused of stoking instability in the east of its much larger neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Angolan President Joao Lourenco, who was among those attending Sunday’s ceremony, was scheduled to have private talks with Kagame on a DRC ceasefire, according to the Angolan presidency.
Luanda brokered the agreement last month after a meeting between the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda, which is accused of backing the M23 rebel group fighting Kinshasa’s armed forces.
But on August 4, the day the deal was supposed to take effect, M23 rebels – who have seized territory in the east since launching a new offensive at the end of 2021 – captured a town on the border with Uganda.
With 65% of the population under 30, Kagame is the only leader most Rwandans have ever known.
“I proudly cast my vote for President Kagame and made it a priority to be here today to witness this historic inauguration,” said Tania Iriza, a 27-year-old trader, one of the tens of thousands of Rwandans who turned out for the ceremony.
“His leadership has been transformative for our nation. Under his leadership, Rwanda has risen from our tragic past and forged a path towards prosperity, unity, and innovation.”
Kagame has won every presidential election he has contested, each time with more than 93% of the vote.
In 2015, he oversaw constitutional amendments that shortened presidential terms to five years from seven but reset the clock for the Rwandan leader, allowing him to potentially rule until 2034.
References.
Aljazeera News. Rwanda’s Kagame sworn in for fourth term after 99 percent election win. published on 11 Aug 2024.
2. BBC NEW. Rwanda's president smashes his election record. Story by Danai Nesta Kupemba, Published on 18 July 2024.
Related Stories.
Africa News. Paul Kagame's inauguration: Renewing his oath of loyalty as Rwanda's leader.
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