President Paul Kagame has emerged as the overwhelming victor in Rwanda’s presidential election, securing a fourth term in office with a staggering 99.15 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released by the country’s electoral commission.
With approximately 79 percent of ballots counted, the outcome appears to be a foregone conclusion. The election saw a reported turnout of 9.5 million registered voters out of Rwanda’s population of 14 million.
Kagame’s challengers, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, have each garnered less than one percent of the votes, highlighting the incumbent’s dominance in the political landscape.
The landslide victory cements Kagame’s continued leadership of the East African nation, a position he has held since 2000. Critics have raised concerns about political freedom in Rwanda, while supporters point to the country’s economic growth and stability under Kagame’s rule.
