Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame has broken his own record by winning Monday’s elections with more than 99% of the vote, according to full provisional results.
The 66-year-old President previously won the 2017 election with 98.63% of the vote, surpassing his 93% in 2010 and 95% in 2003.
While critics argue that Kagame’s overwhelming majorities are due to his authoritarian rule, his supporters claim they reflect his immense popularity, citing Rwanda’s stability and economic growth under his leadership.
Mr. Kagame, a former Rebel Commander, came to power in 1994, ending a genocide that claimed around 800,000 lives in 100 days.
The Electoral Commission barred at least three Presidential aspirants, including the President’s most vocal critics, from contesting. It allowed two candidates – the Democratic Green Party’s Frank Habineza and Independent Philippe Mpayimana – to run against him. They received 0.53% and 0.32% of the vote respectively, performing worse than in the 2017 election when their combined vote topped 1%.
Voter turnout was remarkably high, at 98%, according to the Electoral Commission.
