Rwandan ruling party picks Paul Kagame as presidential candidate

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame was on Saturday endorsed by his ruling party as its candidate for the presidential election set for July 2024, a move that could extend his rule to around three decades.

Kagame, 66, has been President since 2000 although he has effectively been in control since his rebel force marched into Kigali in 1994 to end a genocide.

At a meeting of top officials of the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) in the capital, Kigali, Kagame was endorsed by 99.1 per cent of votes cast.

"We know where this country has come from. I appreciate the apparent role you have played in that. I also appreciate the trust that you always and continue to place in me," Kagame said after the vote. "The burden you have given me I have accepted to carry."

Kagame's bid to continue leading the country got a boost when four small political parties endorsed his candidature for a fourth seven-year term.

The Ideal Democratic Party (PDI), the Democratic Union of the Rwandan People's Party (UDPR), the Prosperity and Solidarity Party (PSP) and the Rwandan Socialist Party (PSR), which are in a coalition with the ruling party, said they had confidence in his leadership capabilities.

"President Kagame puts the needs and interests of all Rwandans ahead of everything else. That is why we have confidence in him and have endorsed him as a candidate in next year's election," said PDI President and Senator Musa Fazil Harerimana.

His party led the calls for the constitution to be amended for Kagame to seek a third term.

The legislator added that the PDI continues to support President Kagame because of his relentless pursuit of the unity of Rwandans, and protection of the country's sovereignty, development and democracy.

Other contestants

Kagame's only known challenger in the July polls is opposition Green Party leader Frank Habineza.

The 47-year-old member of parliament secured only 0.45 per cent of the ballot in the 2017 election, coming third in polls that rights groups criticised for irregularities and voter intimidation.

The other potential challenger to Kagame, Victoire Ingabire, leader of the unregistered Dalfa Umurunzi (Development And Liberty For All) movement, has been blocked from the presidential race due to a past conviction.

A court decision on whether she will be allowed to contest the presidency is set for March 13.

Rwanda will hold presidential and parliamentary polls on July 15 after the government decided last year to synchronise the dates for the votes.

Twenty-four women MPs, two youth representatives and a representative for disabled Rwandans will be chosen by electoral colleges and committees on July 16.

Candidates will be allowed to campaign from June 22 until July 12, according to the election calendar.

While Rwanda lays claim to being one of the most stable countries in Africa, rights groups accuse Kagame of ruling in a climate of fear that stifles dissent and free speech.

A former rebel chief, Kagame became President in April 2000 but has been the country's de facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide.

He presided over controversial constitutional amendments in 2015 that allowed him to run for more terms and stay in power until 2034.