Rwanda's President Paul Kagame scored a crushing election victory that will extend his iron-fisted rule by another five years, according to partial results issued Monday, July 15.
De facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide and president since 2000, Kagame scored 99.15% of the vote, the National Election Commission announced after 79% of ballots had been counted.
It tops the 98.79% Kagame won in the last election in 2017 and is streets ahead of Democratic Green Party candidate Frank Habineza with 0.53% and independent Philippe Mpayimana with 0.32%.
The outcome of Monday's poll was never in doubt, with Kagame accused of muzzling the opposition and several prominent critics barred from the race.
With 65% of the population aged under 30, Kagame – who has secured a fourth term – is the only leader most Rwandans have ever known. The 66-year-old is credited with rebuilding a traumatized nation after the genocide but he is also accused of ruling in a climate of fear at home, and fomenting instability in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Over nine million Rwandans – about two million first-time voters – were registered to cast their ballot, with the presidential race being held at the same time as legislative elections for the first time.
"(Kagame) gives us everything we ask him, such as health insurance. This is why he wins by a big margin," said 34-year-old mechanic Francois Rwabakina.
Kagame won with more than 93% of the vote in 2003, 2010 and in 2017, when he again easily defeated the same challengers.
He has overseen controversial constitutional amendments that shortened presidential terms from seven to five years and reset the clock for the Rwandan leader, allowing him to potentially rule until 2034.
Rwandan courts had rejected appeals from prominent opposition figures Bernard Ntaganda and Victoire Ingabire to remove previous convictions that effectively disqualified them from Monday's vote. The election commission also barred high-profile Kagame critic Diane Rwigara, citing issues with her paperwork – the second time she was excluded from running.