The campaign for Rwanda’s upcoming presidential election on July 15 commenced on Saturday, with nine million registered voters participating. This election marks the first time legislative elections are held concurrently.
Paul Kagame, initially elected president by Parliament in 2000 and subsequently re-elected via universal suffrage in 2003, 2010, and 2017 with over 90% of the vote each time, will be challenged by his 2017 opponents Frank Habineza and Philippe Mpayimana.
Notably, prominent opposition figures such as Victoire Ingabire and Bernard Ntaganda are disqualified from running due to prior convictions. Diane Rwigara’s candidacy was invalidated due to non-compliant documents; she had been previously excluded but acquitted in 2018.
Following a constitutional amendment in 2015 reducing presidential terms from seven to five years, Kagame could potentially remain in office until 2034 if re-elected.
The legislative elections are synchronized with the presidential election, featuring over 500 candidates competing for 80 parliamentary seats. Of these, 53 representatives will be directly elected, while 27 seats are reserved for women, youth, and disabled individuals selected indirectly.
