RWANDA’S PRESIDENT, Paul Kagame, is set to win another seven-year term today in an election marred by several murders and a clampdown on opposition groups.
About 5.2 million registered voters will choose between Mr Kagame, who has ruled since his rebel army ended the genocide in 1994, and three low-profile candidates allied to the ruling party. The 52-year-old president won the 2003 vote with a 95 per cent majority, and few expect a much different result this time around.
Under Mr Kagame’s rule, Rwanda has been transformed from ruin to a state lauded around the world for its recovery. Seen by donors as one of the most efficient and accountable developing countries, it has seen great improvements in health and education.
The government has been praised for its work ethic, empowerment of women, attempts to spur the economy, and lack of corruption. The ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front has turned the country into one of the safest on the continent – no mean feat considering its history, and an achievement that resonates among the electorate.
Goodwill towards Mr Kagame from abroad – Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and Britain’s Conservative party are among his admirers – as well as at home has been damaged by his treatment of critics this year. Two opposition groups were prevented from registering as political parties, while a third was broken up. Police later charged two of the party leaders under laws banning genocide ideology.
The vice-president of the other group, the Democratic Green Party, was found murdered on July 14th. There is no evidence implicating the government, but the pattern of killings and attacks has made many Rwandans suspicious. Three weeks before that, one of the last independent journalists in Rwanda was murdered in Kigali. – (Guardian service)