Kagame expected to extend his rule, as Rwandans vote in election with evident muzzling of opposition

KIGALI – Voters in Rwanda lined up at polling stations on Monday to elect their next president, with 66-year-old incumbent Paul Kagame, who has ruled the central African country for nearly a quarter of a century, expected to secure an easy victory.

Kagame has won more than 93 percent of the vote in each of the last three elections, according to Reuters.

Eight candidates had applied to run against him, but only two—Frank Habineza and Philippe Mpayimana—were retained in the final list validated by the electoral commission.

The others, including Kagame’s most vocal critics, were barred for various reasons, including prior criminal convictions.

At the Rwandexco polling centre in the capital, Kigali, people began queuing 90 minutes before polls opened.

Kagame is looking to win the endorsement of more than 9 million eligible voters, who are also electing members of parliament.

Provisional results are expected by July 20.

Kagame won nearly 99 percent of the vote in the 2017 poll, following a constitutional change removing term limits that would have prevented him from standing again.

He has received acclaim for transforming Rwanda into a thriving economy but has also faced criticism from rights activists and Western nations for muzzling the media, stifling opposition, and backing rebel groups in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Rwandan government has denied all accusations against it.

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