Rwandans are set to go to the polls on July 15, 2024 to elect their next President -current Head of State Paul Kagame is running for a fourth term- and to elect their deputies, the Electoral Commission announced on Tuesday December 12.
“Throughout the country, the date for the election of the President of the Republic and 53 deputies from a list proposed by political organizations or for independent candidates is July 15, 2024,” the National Electoral Commission said on X (ex-Twitter). Candidates will be able to campaign from June 22 to July 12, it added.
In March 2023, the government announced that the presidential and legislative elections would be held on the same day. Paul Kagame, 66, announced his candidacy for a fourth term in September. Controversial constitutional amendments have enabled him to secure a third term and could allow him to govern until 2034.
A former rebel leader, Paul Kagame has been the de facto ruler of the Great Lakes country since the end of the 1994 genocide. He was returned to power – with over 90% of the vote – in the 2003, 2010 and 2017 elections. The leader of the opposition Green Party, Frank Habineza, has also announced his candidacy for 2024.
Rwanda presents itself as one of the most stable countries on the African continent, but many human rights groups accuse Paul Kagame of ruling in a climate of fear, stifling dissent and freedom of expression.