Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has challenged the legitimacy of President Paul Kagame’s overwhelming electoral win, citing concerns over the fairness of an election where Kagame faced minimal competition.
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) reported Kagame securing 99.15 percent of the votes counted, totaling 7,099,810 out of 7,160,864 ballots in the provisional results announced on Monday. His opponents, Frank Habineza and Philippe Mpayimana, garnered 0.53 percent and 0.32 percent of the votes, respectively.
Ingabire, barred from contesting in the election, criticized the restricted political environment in Rwanda, arguing that limited participation limits Rwandans’ ability to choose their leaders freely. She called for Kagame to open up democratic processes to allow broader political engagement.
Despite her exclusion from the ballot, Ingabire has persisted in challenging Kagame’s administration, particularly highlighting what she views as a lack of genuine competition in the electoral process.
Kagame’s competitors have conceded defeat, and he has expressed readiness to continue advancing Rwanda’s development agenda. The NEC is currently consolidating votes with final results expected by July 27, following provisional results on July 20.
