Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is widely tipped to win a fourth term as the country goes to the poll to elect a new leader on Monday.
66-year-old Kagame who has been in power since 2000, secured landslide election victories in past polls including in 2017 when he polled 99% of the votes in the small East African nation of just over 13 million people.
The field was narrowed to just three presidential contenders after some aspirants including some of Kagame’s most captious critics were barred by the electoral commission.
Frank Habineza, of the Democratic Green Party and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana who were Kagame’s challengers in 2017 are running again.
The electoral commission say some nine million people have been registered to participate in the polls the outcome of which is largely seen as a foregone conclusion to return Mr. Kagame for another term.
Provisional results will be announced on Tuesday.
Aside from electing a president, Rwandans are also voting for the next occupants of the 53-member lower House of Parliament.
President Kagame and his Rwanda Patriotic Front Party, then a rebel movement were widely credited for bringing an end to the Rwandan genocide of the Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994.
Some estimates say close to 1 million people were massacred in a 100-day killing spree from April to July of that year.
However, Kagame faces criticisms at home and abroad for jailing political opponents and target assassinations of dissidents, allegations he had dismissed as ‘necolonial diatribes’ aimed at curbing his progressive Pan-African position on development.
WN/as/APA