On Saturday, Rwanda’s ruling party, Rwandan Patriotic Front, endorsed President Paul Kagame as its candidate in a presidential election due in July, potentially extending his rule in the central African nation of 13 million people to around three decades.
Kagame has been president since 2000. However, he has been effectively in control since his rebel force marched into Kigali in 1994 to end a genocide.
He has also won the Presidential elections in 2003, 2010 and 2017 — with more than 90 percent of the vote.
Kagame was endorsed by 99.1 percent of votes cast at a meeting of top officials of the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) in the capital, Kigali.
Speaking after his confirmation, Kagame said, “We know where this country has come from, I appreciate the apparent role you have played in that. I also appreciate the trust that you always and continue to place in me.”
“The burden of responsibility to lead our country can be equated to a shock absorber against the challenges we face daily. It requires the right mindset.”
“The burden you have given me I have accepted to carry.”
“I accept this burden of responsibility, but with a call to get someone to relieve me of this responsibility.”
Voters will have a chance to elect their next leader and lawmakers for a five-year term on July 15.
Kagame won his current seven-year term with 98.63% of the vote at the last election in August 2017, and is now only eligible to seek a maximum of two five-year terms after the current one ends due to a change of constitution in 2015.
He has attracted applause across the globe for presiding over peace and economic growth since the end of the 1994 genocide, in which about 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.
However, he has also faced criticisms for what human rights groups say are the suppression of political opposition and independent media.
He is expected to vie for the post in the next election against Frank Habineza from the Green Party who secured only 0.45 percent of the ballot in the 2017 election among other opposition candidates.
To market themselves to the populace, Candidates will be allowed to campaign from June 22 until July 12.