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Paul Kagame the incumbent casts his vote on Monday
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KIGALI
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda today said winning this year’s general election by 99.15% is a demonstration of the trust that his people have in him.
Partial results announced by the National Electoral Commission of Rwanda showed that President Kagame won the election with 7,099,810 (99.15%) votes and was followed by Dr. Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party with 38,301 (0.53%) votes. In third position was Mpayimana Phillippe, an independent who got 22,753 (0.32%) votes. The provisional results will be announced on July 20, and the final results on July 27.
Speaking to RPF-Inkotanyi supporters gathered at the party’s headquarters at Intare Arena in Rusororo, Kagame said: “The trust you give is beyond explanation. Those high numbers are not just numbers, even if it was 100%, it wouldn’t be just numbers; it is that trust that is the most important thing.”
With provisional results putting him in a landslide win, President Kagame is set to govern Rwanda for the fourth term since his first election on August 25, 2003. He hailed the artists, the youth, allied political parties, and his family for standing with him throughout the campaign.
“The action of campaigning and the outcome of elections as it was just announced hold a special meaning to me; it means the trust that I appreciate you for. There is nothing you can give to someone so that you can instantly be trusted. Trust is built over time,” he said.
Opposition candidate Habineza conceded defeat, saying: “We accept the results and congratulate the winner Paul Kagame.”
Frank Habineza
Speaking to the media on Monday night, Oda Gasinzigwa, the chairperson of the National Electoral Commission of Rwanda, said seven million votes had been counted within seven hours after the closure of polls. The polls started at 7:00 am and closed at 3:00 pm.
Kenya’s former Chief Justice David Maraga led the East African Community (EAC) election observers’ mission in Rwanda. Maraga said his team held meetings with the Rwanda National Police, NEC, and Rwanda’s Chief Justice before the elections, adding that they would issue a report today.
“Generally, what we see is that the organization is fantastic. I went to a polling station before 7 am. I saw how the head of the station and polling clerks were sworn in and opened ballot boxes to show they were empty and sealed them,” he said.
According to the electoral body, there are over 2,400 polling stations manned by over 100,000 volunteers in the country. The number of voters is about nine million. Of the nine million voters, two million are new on the voters’ register.
Over 1,000 local and foreign observers were accredited to observe the presidential and parliamentary elections. Of these, 776 observers were from Rwanda while 334 others were from foreign countries. The foreign observers represent various regional and international organizations, including the African Union, European Union, East African Community, Commonwealth, International Organisation of La Francophonie, International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, and Economic Community of Central African States.
Torch Media Africa
