A Presidential election will take place in Rwanda tomorrow. The past few weeks have seen frequent political rallies attended by tens of thousands of people in rural areas and I can’t imagine how many in Kigali. These events consist mainly of speeches from candidates and their supporters, music and dance performances, and groups marching through the streets chanting and drumming. Even remote corners of Rwanda are plastered with RPF (Rwandan Liberation Front) paraphernalia – posters, flags, ribbons, t-shirts, scarves, hats, etc.
Current President Paul Kagame is widely favored to win another seven-year term. Three candidates are running against Kagame – Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies and former Minister of Health Jean Damascène Ntawukuriryayo (Social Democratic Party), Vice-President of the Senate and former Minister of Commerce Prosper Higiro (Liberal Party), and Senator Alvera Mukabaramba (Party for Progress and Concord) – though all are from parties closely aligned with the RPF. All other opposition politicians were barred from participating in the election.
I, like everyone else watching the election, am fairly certain Kagame will win by an overwhelming majority. It’s hard to say what will happen next; I expect there to be some small-scale protesting in Kigali and perhaps other major towns, but nothing to really get out of hand. (But I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed and praying for peace.)
Rwanda’s election and the events that have led up to it have garnered a lot of attention in international media and the blogosphere.
A timeline of recent events in Rwanda:
- Feb 20: "Rwandan capital Kigali hit by deadly grenade attacks" - BBC News
- March 5: "Kigali hit by twin grenade attacks" - BBC News
- April 21: “Presidential Candidate Is Arrested in Rwanda” – New York Times
- April 21: “Newspapers suspended; opposition assaulted and threatened” – IFEX
- May 16: “Grenade Attacks Shake Capital of Rwanda” – New York Times
- May 28: “Rwanda arrests US lawyer Erlinder for genocide denial” – BBC News
- June 20: “Former Rwandan army chief shot in South Africa. Was it an assassination attempt?” – Christian Science Monitor
- June 25: “Rwanda ‘assassins’ kill reporter Jean Leonard Rugambage” – BBC News
- July 14: “Rwanda Opposition Leader Found Dead” – New York Times
- July 15: “Tanzania lawyer at Rwanda genocide court shot dead” – BBC News
- "President Paul Kagame under scrutiny" - The Economist
- “Four candidates but only one voice as Rwanda prepares for elections” – Daily Nation (Kenya)
- “Rwanda’s elections: what to watch” – Texas in Africa (blog)
- “Rwandan election: We should be more sceptical of Mr Kagame” – The Guardian
- "The real challenge for Kagame" - Congo Siasa (blog)
- “Nerves On Edge as Election Nears” – Los Angeles Times
- “Kagame mania peaks as Rwandan poll nears” – Sydney Morning Herald
- "RPF campaigns end on a high note" - The New Times (Rwanda)
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