Rwandans will head to the polls on July 15th to elect from among three presidential candidates and over 500 parliamentary aspirants. The Rwanda National Electoral Commission released the list of candidates for both elections on Friday, June 14th.
Incumbent President Paul Kagame, who has led Rwanda for 23 years and the Rwandan Patriotic Front since 1998, will be seeking re-election. He is set to compete against Frank Habineza of the opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana.
A total of nine candidates submitted their candidacy to the National Electoral Commission. In the previous presidential election, Habineza secured less than 2% of the vote. Kagame has previously won elections in 2003, 2010, and 2017, each time receiving over 90% of the vote.
Despite Kagame’s electoral successes, critics and human rights organizations accuse him of governing in a repressive atmosphere that curtails dissent and free speech.
In April, the Liberal Party (PL) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) endorsed Kagame, aligning with four smaller political parties already in coalition with the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in supporting his candidacy.
