KIGALI:
Paul Kagame was sworn in on Sunday for another five-year term as Rwanda’s president following a decisive victory in last month’s election. The Chief Justice of Rwanda, Faustin Nteziryayo, administered the oath during a ceremony held at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, which was attended by several African leaders and a large crowd of spectators.
In his oath, Kagame committed to upholding the Constitution and laws of Rwanda, preserving peace, maintaining national sovereignty, and fostering national unity.
Kagame, who stood as the candidate for the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in the 15 July election, secured more than 99% of the vote. His opponents, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, garnered less than 1% of the vote, with Habineza receiving 0.53% and Mpayimana 0.32%. The electoral body reported a voter turnout of 98% among the approximately 9 million eligible voters.
In his inaugural address, Kagame emphasised the importance of national unity, crediting it as a key factor in his electoral success. He stated, “Our political process is designed to renew and deepen our unity.”
At 66 years old, Kagame sought re-election after a 2015 constitutional amendment allowed him to run for three additional terms. This amendment enabled him to pursue a seven-year third term in 2017, though it also introduced a change that would reduce presidential terms to five years starting in 2024.
Kagame’s background includes growing up as a refugee in Uganda after the 1959-1962 revolution in Rwanda, which forced the Tutsi population to flee from the majority Hutu.
He played a significant role in Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s rebel army, leading its intelligence wing and contributing to Museveni’s rise to power in 1986. Kagame received military training in Uganda, Tanzania, and the United States.
Rwanda experienced a civil war between 1990 and 1994, rooted in deep ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi communities. The conflict culminated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Kagame is widely recognised for his leadership of the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), the military wing of the RPF, which played a crucial role in halting the genocide and promoting peace and unity in the years that followed.
Before becoming president in 2000, Kagame served as vice president and defence minister. He has consistently won re-election since then, including a landslide victory in the 2017 election, where he secured over 98% of the vote.