Kagame wins Rwanda vote in landslide

KIGALI, Rwanda

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is on course to extend his 24-year rule by another five years in a landslide victory, with most of the votes counted from Monday's election.

He has 99.15% of the vote so far, with about 79% of ballots counted, partial results announced by the electoral commission show.

The 66-year-old again faced no meaningful opposition, with leading figures banned. His two opponents shared less than 1% of the vote.

Mr Kagame thanked Rwandans for their trust in an address at his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) party headquarters.

“These are not just figures, even if it was 100%, these are not just numbers. [They] show the trust, and that is what is most important," Mr Kagame said.

His opponents - environmentalist Frank Habineza and ex-journalist and government adviser Philippe Mpayimana - have 0.53% and 0.32% respectively.

The full provisional results are due by 20 July and final ones by 27 July.

The results come as no surprise.

They mirror the 2017 election's outcome that had the same candidates taking part - which Mr Kagame won with 98.8% of the vote.

At least three aspirants were disqualified from running, including Diane Rwigara, an outspoken critic of Mr Kagame.

The electoral commission says 98% of the more than 9.5 million eligible voters took part in the elections.

They were voting for a president and 53 legislators.

Elections for 27 special seats meant for women, young people and people with disabilities will take place on Tuesday.

Mr Kagame has been the de-facto leader of Rwanda since the end of the 1994 genocide and president since 2000.

Rights groups accuse him of curtailing freedoms since taking office, while his supporters say he had presided over economic growth and helped end ethnic divisions.