Kagame wins third term
Publish date: 07 August 2017
Issue Number: 737
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: Rwanda
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has won a third term in office with a landslide, the country's electoral commission has announced. A final tally of votes gave him 98.63% of the votes, it said. BBC News reports that Kagame's supporters say that he has brought stability and economic development after the horrors of the 1994 genocide. Kagame, who has been in power for 17 years, was challenged by Frank Habineza, from the Democratic Green Party, and Philippe Mpayimana, an independent. Another independent challenger, businesswoman and rights activist Diane Shima Rwigara, was disqualified by the electoral commission. The remaining eight opposition parties did not put forward a candidate and instead backed Kagame, the report notes.