Rwandan President Paul Kagame campaigning. Photo credit: The Star, Kenya
Re-Election of Rwandan President Paul Kagame
Since the horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has maintained a steady progress in embracing democracy. This progress was clearly manifested in the last presidential election, in which President Paul Kagame was re-elected for a third term with close to 100 percent of the vote.
Although some of the other candidates in the poll claimed it wasn’t free and fair, the prevailing peace before, during and after the August 5 election was an affirmation of a maturing democracy.
However, some pundits have accused President Kagame of changing the constitution to allow him to hold on to power. A few months before the August poll, the Rwandan parliament amended the constitution to enable Kagame to run for another term. The subsequent arrest of one of the presidential candidates, Diane Rwigara, for allegedly criticizing Mr. Kagame has also brought to the fore some serious questions about President Kagame’s commitment to the rule of law.
