Paul Kagame Wins Rwandan Presidential Election: Who Is Surprised?

President Paul Kagame has secured 99% of the votes cast in the provisional results announced by Rwanda’s National Electoral Commission in Monday’s presidential election.

This outcome was highly anticipated as Kagame, the country’s longest-serving ruler, sought to extend his three-decade tenure in power. Ahead of the elections, major opposition figures were disqualified from running, leaving Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana as Kagame’s only opposition. Both candidates received less than 1% of the provisional votes cast.

These results are similar to previous election outcomes. Kagame won nearly 99% of the votes cast in the 2017 election, 93% in 2010, and 95% in 2003. Final results are expected by July 27, paving the way for Kagame to serve until 2034, with no indications of relinquishing power.

Out of the 14 million Rwandans, electoral officers reported that 9.5 million were registered to vote in the elections, and this was evidenced by reports of high voter turnout in the capital, Kigali.

“This is going to be my first time voting. I am voting for President Kagame because I have never seen a leader like him before,” first-time voter Jean Claude Nkurunziza said.

At 66, Kagame has occupied the presidential office since the end of Rwanda’s genocide in 1994 and has faced minimal opposition in elections. Critics argue that the absence of stronger opposition diminishes the effectiveness of the electoral process. 

President Paul Kagame has earned immense support from Rwandans since assuming leadership of the East African nation as the head of rebel forces that seized control and ended the genocide in 1994. Initially serving as vice president and de facto leader until 2000, when he formally became president, Kagame has led the country into stability, prosperity, and national reconciliation. Under his leadership, Rwanda has made significant strides in providing its citizens with social services such as education, healthcare, housing, and agricultural support, without discrimination based on ethnicity or regional origin. The country has also emerged as one of Africa’s top three tourist destinations, attracting visitors with its natural beauty and cultural heritage.

While Kagame has been criticized by some for his authoritarian style of leadership, his supporters have praised him for steering Rwanda through impressive economic growth over the past three decades following the trauma of genocide.

Like several other African leaders, Kagame has extended his tenure by amending term limits. In 2015, Rwandans voted in a referendum to remove the two-term limit, allowing him to continue in office.

Addressing journalists on Saturday, Kagame emphasized that his authority stems from popular mandate, reflecting his stance on governance and leadership in Rwanda.

“The ruling party and Rwandans have been asking me to stand for another mandate,” he said. “At a personal level, I can comfortably go home and rest.”

While addressing his supporters on Tuesday morning, he disclosed his readiness to resume serving them. “We work together to face problems, fix those which can be fixed,” he said. “And for those which can’t be fixed at the moment, we build additional resources that will allow us to pass through them.”

Rwanda’s recent election is coming at a time of heightened insecurity in Africa’s Great Lakes region. In neighboring eastern Congo, rebels known as M23 are currently engaged in a war against the Congolese forces in remote areas.