KIGALI, Rwanda: Millions of Rwandans started voting in presidential and parliamentary polls on Monday, with the African country’s leader Paul Kagame set to cruise to win and extend his rule for another five years.
Rwanda’s leader since the end of the 1994 genocide and president since 2000, Kagame confronts only two challengers following several prominent critics were barred from contesting. The lineup is a carbon copy of the last polls in 2017, when Kagame eliminated his foes with almost 99 percent of the vote, and there is little doubt regarding the outcome this year.
Frank Habineza, leader of the Democratic Green Party, and independent Philippe Mpayimana were the only two contenders allowed to run against Kagame out of eight candidates.
With 65 percent of the population aged under 30, Paul Kagame — who is running for a fourth term — is the only political leader most people have ever known.
The 66-year-old is credited with transformation a traumatized country following the genocide unleashed by Hutu extremists that killed about 800,000 people. But rights groups blamed his regime of stifling the media and opposition with arbitrary imprisonments, killings and enforced disappearances.
Abroad, it faces allegations of stoking instability in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where a UN report suggests Rwandan forces are fighting alongside M23 insurgents in the troubled eastern region.
Over nine million Rwandans have been registered to cast their votes across 2,433 polling stations, with the presidential contest being held at the same time as legislative polls for the first time.
Polls started about 7:00 am and counting will begin as soon as they close at 3:00 pm, with partial results likely to be released as tallying progresses.
