Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been sworn in for a fourth term after winning the recent election with an overwhelming 99 percent of the vote. The inauguration ceremony took place on Sunday in Kigali’s 45,000-seat stadium, which was filled with attendees, including several dozen African heads of state and dignitaries. Kagame took the oath of office before Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, pledging to uphold peace, national sovereignty, and unity.
Kagame, who has led Rwanda since the 1994 genocide—first as the de facto leader and later as president—secured 99.18 percent of the votes in the July 15 election, according to the National Electoral Commission. The election’s outcome was widely anticipated, given Kagame’s long-standing control over the nation.
Despite his popularity among many Rwandans, rights activists have criticized the election, highlighting it as a sign of Rwanda’s lack of democracy. Out of eight candidates who applied, only two were allowed to run against Kagame. Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party came in second with 0.5 percent of the vote, followed by independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana with 0.32 percent.
Kagame is credited with rebuilding Rwanda after the genocide, during which around 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed. However, critics accuse him of ruling through fear, suppressing dissent through intimidation, arbitrary detentions, and disappearances. Rwanda has also faced accusations of destabilizing eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by supporting the M23 rebel group.
During the inauguration, Angolan President Joao Lourenco, who attended the event, was expected to hold private talks with Kagame regarding a ceasefire agreement in the DRC. This agreement, brokered by Angola, was intended to take effect on August 4 but faced challenges when M23 rebels captured a town on the Uganda border.
For many Rwandans, Kagame is the only leader they have ever known, given that 65 percent of the population is under 30. Tania Iriza, a 27-year-old trader who attended the inauguration, expressed her support for Kagame, saying, “His leadership has been transformative for our nation. Under his leadership, Rwanda has risen from our tragic past and forged a path towards prosperity, unity, and innovation.”
Kagame has consistently won every presidential election he has contested, each time with more than 93 percent of the vote. In 2015, he oversaw constitutional amendments that shortened presidential terms from seven years to five but reset the clock, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2034.