August 11, (THEWILL) – Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, has been sworn in for a fourth term after sweeping to victory in the July 15 elections with more than 99% of the vote.
Several dozen heads of state and other dignitaries from African nations joined the inauguration ceremony at a packed 45,000-seat stadium in Kigali on Sunday.
Kagame took the oath of office before Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, pledging to “preserve peace and national sovereignty, consolidate national unity.”
The outcome of the July 15 poll saw Kigame won 99.18% of ballots cast to secure another five years in power, according to the National Electoral Commission.
Rights activists said the 66-year-old’s overwhelming victory was a stark reminder of the lack of democracy in Rwanda. Only two candidates were authorised to run against him out of eight applicants, with several prominent Kagame critics barred.
Democratic Green Party leader Frank Habineza scraped into second place with 0.5 percent of the vote against 0.32 percent for independent Philippe Mpayimana.
Paul Kagame has ruled the small African nation since the 1994 genocide, as de facto leader and then president.
