The victory gives Kagame, already in power for 17 years, a third term
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Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has been re-elected, with little short of 100 per cent of the vote, according to authorities.
In power for 17 years already, his widely expected landslide was celebrated by supporters who hail the country’s peaceful and rapid economic recovery since the genocide of 1994.
Critics though accuse his administration of widespread human rights abuses and suppression of political opposition.
With 80 percent of votes counted from Friday’s election, the 59-year-old former guerrilla leader had secured 98.66 percent, the National Electoral Commission’s Executive Secretary Charles Munyaneza told a news conference.
BREAKING: Paul #Kagame leads with 98.6% of votes out of 80% of votes counted - EC #RwandaElection2017 https://t.co/srnnBNMYVT
— africanews (@africanews) 4 août 2017
Kagame’s main opponent in the poll, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party, claims that his supporters were blocked from campaigning, and some attacked with stones.
The President was only able to run for a third term after constitutional changes were approved in a referendum two years ago, again by nearly 100 percent, a figure seen as suspiciously high by the opposition and Western diplomats.
with Reuters