Rwandans are voting Monday in a presidential election that is expected to extend the long rule of President Paul Kagame, who has been in power since 1994.
Some voters in the capital Kigali arrived as early as 5 a.m. and waited for the polls to open, resulting in long lines at some polling stations.
“This is going to be my first time to vote. I am voting for President Kagame because I have never seen a leader like him before,” said motorcyclist Jean Claude Nkurunziza.
Election authorities report that 9.5 million Rwandans are registered to vote in the population of 14 million. Provisional results are expected later on Monday.
The outcome is almost certain to favor Kagame, an authoritarian leader running virtually unopposed.
His opponents are Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, both of whom struggled to attract significant support during their campaigns.
Kagame faced the same opponents in 2017, when he secured nearly 99% of the vote.
Habineza told the AP Monday that his party “has improved and we are confident we will perform very well this time.”
Kagame, 66, has led the small eastern African country since seizing power as the leader of rebels who ended the genocide in 1994.
He served as Rwanda’s vice president and de facto leader from 1994 to 2000, when he officially became president. He is condemned by many as a violent authoritarian while praised by others for overseeing significant growth in the three decades since the genocide.
Kagame is among several African leaders who have extended their rule by changing term limits. In 2015, Rwandans voted in a referendum to lift the two-term limit, allowing Kagame to potentially stay in power until 2034.
Kagame told reporters Saturday that his mandate comes from the people.
