Rwanda is set to hold its general elections in six days, with long-serving President Paul Kagame tipped to win and ensure he stays in power for another seven years.
From an initial list of seven aspirants, only three got the green light to contest the August 4th vote. Other than Kagame, the other two are former history teacher-turned-politician Philippe Mpayimana and opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda’s Frank Habineza.
President Paul Kagame has ruled Rwanda – fondly known as the land of a thousand hills – since 2000. He has been rightly credited with pulling the country out of a tumultuous period, just after the devastating genocide, to become one of Africa’s most stable nations.
The 59-year-old is Rwanda’s sixth president since independence.
Ahead of the August 4th elections, there isn’t much political hype surrounding the East African nation – maybe due to Kagame’s dominace in the country’s politics. The country however has quite an interesting tale;
Independence
Rwanda gained its full independence from Belgium on 1 July 1962, with the United Nations playing an oversight role.
Initially, the country was part of the larger Ruanda-Urundi that consisted of Rwanda and Burundi as one.
Ruanda-Urindi was marred by deadly clashes between the Hutu and the Tutsis, prompting the UN to call for a split of the country into two.
A referendum was held on 25 September 1961 to decide whether Rwanda should become a republic or remain a kingdom. Citizens voted overwhelmingly for the country to become a republic. On that same day, parliamentary elections were held, and the first Rwandese Republic was officially declared with Dominique Mbonyumutwa as interim president and Grégoire Kayibanda as Prime Minister.
Presidents
Dominique Mbonyumutwa served as Rwanda’s interim president from 28 January to 26 October 1961
On October 26, 1961, Kayibanda become Rwanda’s second president – but the first elected president. He served until July 5, 1973 when defense minister Major General Juvénal Habyarimana successfully staged a coup to become the country’s third president.
Habyarimana instituted a military rule in Rwanda, and even dismissed all political parties but the Mouvement Révolutionaire National pour le Développement which became the country’s only legal party.
Habyarimana instituted a military rule until 1978, when a new constitution was approved in a referendum. At the same time, Habyarimana was elected to a five-year term as president. In that election, he was the only presidential candidate. He would go on to get re-election in single-candidate votes in 1983 and 1988.
President Habyarimana was assassinated on April 6, 1994. A plane he was travelling in together with the then-Burundi President Cyprien Ntaryamira, the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan military and other dignitaries was shot down. His assassination is reported to have been the main cause of the deadly Rwandan genocide.
Following Habyarimana’s death, Théodore Sindikubwabo became Rwanda’s the fourth and interim President of Rwanda, ruling from April 9 to July 19, 1994, through the genocide period.
Following the invasion of the Rwandese Patriotic Front that took control of the country and ended the genocide, Sindikubwabo fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he lived in exile in Bukavu.
After the end of the deadly genocide, Pasteur Bizimungu took over the presidency, with current President Paul Kagame serving as vice president.
Bizimungu served as president until March 2000 when he resigned following a reported dispute over the make-up of a new cabinet. Paul Kagame became president.
Paul Kagame’s reign
Current Rwandese President Paul Kagame is seeking to extend his rule in the East African nation, having been in power since 2000.
Kagame is credited with pulling Rwanda out of the murky waters of war and genocide, and seeing the country realize immense development in his 17 year rule.
While many laud him for many great achievements, others have criticized his rule, saying Rwandans have been denied total freedom.
Some notable achievements by Kagame include;
- Gender Equality: Women occupy more than 60 percent of seats in the Lower House of Rwandan Parliament, highest in the world.
- Umuganda: Mandatory community service from 8:00 am to 11:00 am on the last Saturday of every month. Every adult between 18 and 65 years of age is required to participate in Umuganda. This project has got Kigali the top ranking in cleanest cities in Africa.
- Nation-wide ban on plastics. Possession of non-biodegradable polythene bags in Rwanda is illegal. Border security or customs may search your luggage for plastics.
- All ministers and officials in his government and administration have signed goals and specific targets and are held accountable for it.
- Successful war on corruption: Rwanda ranks a respectable 55th on Transparency International corruption index, ahead of fledgling economies like South Africa, Brazil, India, and Mexico
- Effective health care: Rwanda has built a near-universal health care system that covers more than 90 percent of the population, financed by tax revenue, foreign aid and voluntary premiums scaled by income.
Referendum
Rwanda conducted a referendum to extend President Kagame’s stay in power, a vote that received massive support.
In effect the referendum allowed Kagame to stand for another seven-year-term, and two more after that of five years each, meaning that Kagame could be in power until 2034 if successful in all those elections.
Photo courtesy: Kigali Wire
2017 Election
As the people of Rwanda go to the ballot on August 4th, they have a reason to be optimistic of even brighter days ahead. The country’s political scene also has a lot to be happy for.
Even though the vote may have much of a contest, it points out to the country’s growing democracy, as Frank Habineza and Philippe Mpayimana can attest.
Voter Numbers
Around 6.7 million Rwandans are expected to participate in the election, an increase on the compared with the 6.4 million people who participated in the last poll.
Following the 98% vote that the 2015 referendum had in favour of the extension of Kagame’s term, the 59-year-old will definitely be heading into this vote with a lot of confidence, and with belief that the numbers from that referendum will translate into votes for a new mandate.
