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Rwanda’s feared and beloved President Paul Kagame is seeking to extend his 24-year rule in an election that analysts say will win in a landslide.
He has dominated every election since becoming president in 2000, winning more than 90% of the vote. In 2017, he won with a staggering 99% of the vote.
Mr Kagame, 66, will compete against the only two candidates authorized to run, with the others barred by the country’s electoral commission.
President Kagame has ruled Rwanda since he led a rebel army to power in 1994 after the genocide that killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Since then, he has been praised for leading the country to a tremendous renaissance and achieving national unity.
Dr Felix Ndahinda, an academic who studies the Great Lakes region, told the BBC: “Rwanda had been largely abandoned 30 years ago, but thanks in part to the leadership of Kagame and his ruling party, Rwanda has managed to establish a degree of stability.”
But critics accuse Kagame of not allowing any opposition and even planning cross-border assassinations of dissidents.
Mr Kagame has been a staunch defender of Rwanda’s human rights record and said his country respects political freedoms.
But one analyst told the BBC the election was little more than a “formality”.
According to election authorities, about 9 million people are registered to vote, at least 2 million of whom are first-time voters.
The provisional winner is expected to be announced Tuesday morning.
Voters will choose the president and 53 lower house members on Monday, while another 27 lawmakers will be elected the next day.
“I’m really excited about my first vote, I can’t wait,” Sylvia Mutoni told the BBC.
For most young people in Rwanda, Mr Kagame is the only leader they have ever known.
He was the country’s real leader even when he was vice president and defense minister from 1994 to 2000, and has been president since 2000.
Two opposition candidates — Frank Habineza of the Democratic Greens and independent Philippe Mpayimana — both ran in the 2017 election, but they received less than 1% of the vote combined.
But they were not discouraged.
“I believe democracy is a process,” Mr Habineza told the BBC’s Africa Focus podcast.
“People are still afraid to express their opinions. I am fighting for free speech and a free media,” he said.
Some Rwandans have followed his advice, with one voter telling the BBC he would not vote for the incumbent president.
Celestin Mutuyeyezu, 28, once supported Mr. Kagame but was influenced by Mr. Habineza in this election.
“He said a lot of good things about solving the unemployment problem, and I was deeply moved,” he said.
But defeating President Kagame may be difficult.
Diane Rwigara, an outspoken critic of the president, was barred from running in the election. She was also disqualified from running in 2017.
“Rwanda is portrayed as a country with a growing economy. But the reality is different. People do lack the basic necessities of life, such as food, water and shelter,” she told the BBC.
The election commission said she failed to provide the correct documentation.
Although the country still struggles with high youth unemployment, it has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.
Mr Kagame has contributed to Rwanda’s remarkable economic transformation and stability over the past 30 years.
Rwanda is known worldwide for its clean capital and for having the highest percentage of female MPs in the world (61%).
In their book Rwanda, Inc., American authors Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond describe Mr. Kagame as a corporate CEO rather than a political leader because he “strives for excellence” in every field in the country.
He was also a shrewd politician.
Although often critical of the West, he has tried to cultivate useful allies — such as working with Britain on a now-abandoned plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Rwanda also enhances its appeal on the international stage and demonstrates its soft power through sports, culture and entertainment.
This small East African country Basketball Africa League Homea collaboration with the NBA. It hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2022, with international stars including Kendrick Lamar once held a concert there.
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