By Lisa Vives
A battery of threats, arbitrary detention, prosecution on trumped-up charges, killings and enforced disappearances were deployed by the Rwandese President Paul Kagame in the recent presidential election that offered no surprises.
In the ballots counted so far, Kagame and his ruling Rwandese Patriotic Front won 99% of the 79% of ballots counted so far. The president won by a similar amount in 2017.
His two top opponents—Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana—collectively received under 1% of the vote in provisional results.
This was the second bid for the top job by Mpayimana, a former journalist, professor and author who was one of the millions who fled Rwanda during the genocide, ending up in France and Belgium, where he worked as a teacher for many years.
His campaign included a pledge to develop agriculture, transportation, fishing and other industries. He also worked with NGOs helping Hutu refugees in the DRC.
Habineza focused on boosting water access and expanding mechanized farming in a country where 70 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture. In his muted campaign rallies, which saw barely 100 people gather, he also took swipes at Kagame, saying Rwandans are tired of arbitrary detentions and a lack of free speech and free media.
Final results are expected by July 27, although they could be announced sooner.
There were long lines at some polling stations in the capital, Kigali. Election authorities said 9.5 million Rwandans were registered to vote in the country’s population of 14 million.
Kagame has led the East African country since he seized power as the head of the Rwandan Patriot Front (RPF) to defeat Hutu extremist forces. He took control of the government and ended the genocide in 1994. He was vice president and de facto leader from 1994 to 2000, when he became president.
Kagame is among African leaders who have prolonged their rule by pursuing changes to term limits. In 2015, Rwandans in a referendum voted to lift a two-term limit.
Now Kagame could stay in power until 2034.
On Saturday he told journalists that his mandate comes from the people.
“The ruling party and Rwandans have been asking me to stand for another mandate,” he said. ”At a personal level, I can comfortably go home and rest.”
The recent election took place amid heightened fears of insecurity in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Rebels known as M23 are fighting Congolese forces in a remote area of neighboring eastern Congo.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan forces are fighting alongside M23, United Nations experts said in a report circulated last week. The U.S. government has described the group as being backed by Rwanda.
Rights groups continue to raise alarm over harsh restrictions on human rights, including freedom of association, in Rwanda.
According to Amnesty International in a recent statement, Rwanda’s suppression of dissenting voices, including among civic groups and the media, “has a chilling effect and limits the space for debate for people of Rwanda.”
Several candidates, including some of Kagame’s most vocal critics. These included Victoire Inagbire, Diane Rigwara, and Bernard Ntaganda.
Victoire Inagbire: A fierce Kagame critic, served eight years in prison from 2010 to 2018 for “threatening state security” and “belittling” genocide after she questioned why a memorial in Kigali did not honor Hutu victims of the genocide. People who have served more than six months in jail are not eligible to run for president. Inagbire denounced the decision and said it was politically motivated.
Diane Rigwara: Barred for failing to obtain 600 endorsements from citizens plus failing to provide correct documentation showing she had been imprisoned and allegations of forging citizen signatures.
Bernard Ntaganda: The leader of the Social Party he was barred over a previous conviction. In 2010, he was arrested and sentenced to a four-year term for “threatening state security, inciting ethnic divisions and planning unauthorized demonstrations”.
