Rwandan President Paul Kagame has expressed gratitude to leaders of friendly nations for their support as he embarks on his fourth term in office. In a statement on Tuesday, Kagame mentioned that he looks forward to fostering mutually beneficial ties for the benefit of their people.
His remarks followed the official declaration by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) that he had won last week’s presidential election.
My sincere gratitude for the messages of congratulations and support from the friendly leaders of countries around the world, notably Barbados, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bisseau, Guinea, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia,…
— Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) July 22, 2024
Kagame was declared the winner of the election with 8,822,794 votes (99.18%). His closest challenger, Habineza Frank, garnered 44,479 votes, while the third candidate, Mpayimana Philippe, received 28,466 votes.
The friendly leaders thanked by Kagame are some of those who congratulated him on his victory. Among them was President William Ruto, who extended his congratulations after Kagame’s re-election.
Kagame set a new record by winning the election with more than 99% of the vote. The 66-year-old previously won the 2017 election with 98.63% of the vote, surpassing the 93% he received in 2010 and the 95% in 2003.
The electoral commission barred at least three presidential aspirants, including the president’s most vocal critics, from contesting. However, it allowed two candidates—the Democratic Green Party’s Frank Habineza and independent Philippe Mpayimana—to run against him. Voter turnout was notably high, with the Electoral Commission reporting 98%.
