News Desk

The Advocate Post: After securing 99% of the votes, Paul Kagame has been inaugurated for a fourth term as Rwanda’s president.

Although he is credited with the fact that he had brought stability to Rwanda following the 1994 genocide, critics make allegation of him running an oppressive regime where dissent is stifled. Human rights groups argue that his flawless electoral victory indicate a lack of genuine democracy in Rwanda, where only two candidates were allowed to run against him in the July election. Over his four presidential elections, he consistently won over 93% of the votes each time.

At his swearing-in ceremony, attended by several African leaders and held at Kigali’s Amahoro National Stadium, Kagame pledged to preserve peace and national sovereignty and vowed not to use his powers for personal gain. Kagame has been Rwanda’s de facto leader since his forces took control after the genocide, during which 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. Under his leadership, Rwanda has remained stable, and Kagame aims to transform the country into the “Singapore of Africa.” However, he faces accusations of destabilizing the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo by backing the M23 rebel group, leading to tensions with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, who did not attend the inauguration.