Paul Kagame Poised for Landslide Victory in Rwanda’s Presidential Election

As vote counting continues in Rwanda’s presidential election, incumbent Paul Kagame appears set for a resounding win. With over 7 million votes tallied, Kagame has secured an astounding 99.15% of the vote, leaving his opponents far behind.

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) reported a massive 98% voter turnout, underscoring the election’s significance to Rwandans. Kagame’s closest rival, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party, has managed only 0.53% of the vote, while independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana trails with 0.32%.

While final results are not due until July 27, the current numbers suggest Kagame’s victory is all but assured. This landslide, if confirmed, would grant Kagame a third five-year term and cement his position as Rwanda’s dominant political figure.

Kagame is leading the RPF-Inkotanyi coalition. NEC Chairperson Oda Gasinzigwa said the electoral process occurred in a safe and transparent atmosphere for both Rwandans living abroad and those at home.

“As of now, the votes that have been tallied in the elections of the president of the Republic are 78.94%, and these are the partial results,” she said while announcing the partial results.

NEC is set to announce provisional results not later than July 20 and final results not later than July 27.

Breakdown of Votes

At the national level, out of the votes tallied on Monday, Kagame garnered 7,099,810 votes. Habineza received 38,301 votes, and Mpayimana got 22,753 votes.

Northern Province:

• Votes tallied: 1,151,970 out of 1,480,558 registered voters.
• Kagame: 99.65%
• Habineza: 0.27%
• Mpayimana: 0.08%

Eastern Province:

• Votes tallied: 1,766,799 out of 2,246,371 registered voters.
• Kagame: 99.3%
• Habineza: 0.66%
• Mpayimana: 0.05%

Western Province:

• Votes tallied: 1,607,932 out of 2,038,931 registered voters.
• Kagame: 99.6%
• Mpayimana: 0.29%
• Habineza: 0.11%

Southern Province:

• Votes tallied: 1,615,265 out of 2,055,930 registered voters.
• Kagame: 98.6%
• Habineza: 0.73%
• Mpayimana: 0.67%

City of Kigali:

• Votes tallied: 978,223 out of 1,172,229 registered voters.
• Kagame: 98.59%
• Habineza: 0.96%
• Mpayimana: 0.44%

Diaspora:

• Votes tallied: 40,675 out of over 70,000 registered voters.
• Kagame: 95.4%
• Mpayimana: 2.45%
• Habineza: 2.15%