Rwanda’s incumbent President Paul Kagame formally announced his candidacy for a fourth term in the presidential election set for July 15.
The announcement was made on Friday when Kagame submitted his nomination papers to Oda Gasinzigwa, Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission, as the formal candidature submission process began in Kigali.
Kagame, who first assumed the presidency in 2000, won his last election in August 2017 with a decisive 98.63% of the vote.
Representing the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), Kagame’s bid for reelection is enabled by a 2015 constitutional amendment, which allowed him to run for three additional terms.
This amendment provided for a seven-year third term in 2017 but adjusted future terms to five years starting in 2024.
The 66-year-old leader, who was reelected as the RPF chairperson with 99.8% support in April, is widely expected to secure another victory. Major opposition parties have endorsed his candidacy, further solidifying his strong position in the upcoming election.
Despite facing criticism, particularly from Western nations, Kagame has remained resolute. He dismissed Western opinions on Rwanda’s democracy, stating last September that these views were “not our problem.”
In a notable judicial decision, Rwanda’s high court rejected opposition figure Victoire Ingabire’s request to overturn a legal ban on convicted persons running for office.
Ingabire, who was sentenced in 2013 to 15 years for terrorism and genocide denial, spent eight years in prison before receiving a presidential pardon in 2018.
The court ruled that her request lacked merit, highlighting ongoing barriers to political participation in Rwanda.
As the country prepares for the upcoming elections, the National Electoral Commission reported that 9.5 million Rwandans are eligible to vote in the presidential and parliamentary polls.
The election process continues to draw international attention amidst discussions on governance and political freedoms within Rwanda.
