Rwandan President Paul Kagame 66, has secured a record fourth term in office, according to preliminary election results released late Monday evening.
The country’s electoral body announced that Kagame won 99% of the 79% of ballots counted so far.
Chrysologue Karangwa, President of the Electoral Commission of Rwanda, declared Kagame the winner after he received 7,099,810 votes, equating to 99.15% of the total 9,071,157 votes cast. Kagame, representing the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), defeated his closest rival, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party, who garnered 38,301 votes (0.53%), and Phillipe Mpayimana, who received 22,753 votes (0.32%).
Kagame cast his vote around 1:30 p.m. at a voting center in Kigali.
This election marks Rwanda’s fourth since the 1994 genocide, with citizens voting for both the presidential and parliamentary seats. The counting of parliamentary votes is still underway, with over 500 candidates competing for 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament.
Kagame, a de facto leader of the country since the end of the 1994 genocide and president since 2000, won the 2017 election with more than 98% of the vote.
His manifesto is premised on inclusive development, security, and improving citizens’ livelihoods without leaving anyone behind.
About 9 million out of a population of 14 million Rwandans were registered to vote, which is 2 million more than the last election, according to the National Electoral Commission.
