Rwanda is gearing up for its upcoming elections on July 15th, where voters will decide between three presidential candidates and over 500 hopefuls vying for parliamentary seats.
President Paul Kagame, who has led Rwanda for 23 years and heads the Rwandan Patriotic Front since 1998, is seeking re-election. His challengers include Frank Habineza from the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, representing the opposition, and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana.
A total of nine candidates submitted their nominations to the National Electoral Commission for consideration.
During the last presidential election, Habineza secured less than 2% of the votes cast. In contrast, Kagame has previously won landslide victories, clinching over 90% of the vote in elections held in 2003, 2010, and 2017.
Critics and human rights groups have accused Kagame of governing through a climate of intimidation that suppresses dissent and restricts freedom of expression.
In a significant development, the Liberal Party (PL) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) recently threw their support behind Kagame’s candidacy, aligning themselves with four smaller political parties already in coalition with the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).
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