Rwandan President Paul Kagame was gearing up Tuesday for a fourth term after winning a thundering 99.15 per cent of votes according to partial results from an election where only two challengers were allowed to run against him. Partial results issued by the election commission seven hours after polls closed showed that Kagame had won 99.15 per cent of the vote – even more than the 98.79 per cent he got in the last poll seven years ago. Democratic Green Party candidate Frank Habineza could only muster 0.53 per cent and independent Philippe Mpayimana 0.32 per cent, according to the results issued with 79 per cent of ballots counted. In an address from the headquarters of his ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the 66-year-old thanked Rwandans for giving him another five years in office.
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“The results that have been presented indicate a very high score, these are not just figures, even if it was 100 per cent, these are not just numbers,” he said. “These figures show the trust, and that is what is most important,” he added. “I am hopeful that together we can solve all problems.” With 65 per cent of the population aged under 30, Kagame is the only leader most Rwandans have ever known. The 66-year-old is credited with rebuilding a traumatised nation after the 1994 genocide – but he is also accused of ruling in a climate of fear at home, and fomenting instability in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Over nine million Rwandans – including two million first-time voters – were registered to cast their ballot, with the presidential race being held simultaneously as legislative elections for the first time. In the parliamentary election, 589 candidates were chasing 80 seats, including 53 elected by universal suffrage. In the outgoing assembly, the RPF held 40 seats and its allies 11, while Habineza’s party had two. Another 27 spots are reserved for women, the youth and people with disabilities.
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