Rwanda’s ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, has designated President Paul Kagame as its candidate for the upcoming July election, setting the stage for a highly anticipated contest widely anticipated to secure the incumbent leader’s fourth consecutive seven-year term in office.
President Kagame, aged 66, has governed the landlocked African nation with a firm hand for several decades, clinching victories in the presidential elections of 2003, 2010, and 2017 with over 90 percent of the vote on each occasion.
His candidacy was unopposed during the Rwandan Patriotic Front congress, culminating on Saturday, as affirmed by the party officials. The sole contender against Kagame in the forthcoming July polls is the opposition Green Party leader, Frank Habineza, aged 47 and a member of parliament. In the 2017 elections, Habineza secured a meager 0.45 percent of the ballot, placing third amidst criticisms from rights groups over irregularities and instances of voter intimidation.
Another potential challenger, Victoire Ingabire, the leader of the unregistered Dalfa Umurunzi movement, finds herself barred from entering the presidential race due to a prior conviction. A court decision regarding her eligibility to contest the presidency is slated for March 13.
Scheduled for July 15, Rwanda will conduct presidential and parliamentary polls following the government’s decision last year to synchronize the voting dates. On July 16, electoral colleges and committees will select twenty-four women MPs, two youth representatives, and a representative for disabled Rwandans.
Campaigning will be permitted from June 22 to July 12, as outlined by the election timetable. Despite Rwanda’s portrayal as one of Africa’s most stable nations, rights groups have criticized President Kagame’s governance, alleging a climate of fear that suppresses dissent and curtails freedom of speech.
(AFP)
