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Article Body TextKigali — <p>Rwanda's all-powerful President Paul Kagame was sworn in on Sunday for a fourth term after sweeping to victory in elections last month with more than 99% of the vote. </p> <p>Several dozen heads of state and other dignitaries from African nations joined the inauguration ceremony at a packed 45,000-seat stadium in Kigali, where crowds had started gathering from the early morning. </p> <p>Kagame took the oath of office before Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, pledging to "preserve peace and national sovereignty, consolidate national unity." </p> <p>The outcome of the July 15 poll was never in doubt for the iron-fisted Kagame, who has ruled the small African nation since the 1994 genocide, as de facto leader and then president. </p> <p>He won 99.18% of ballots cast to secure another five years in power, according to the National Electoral Commission. </p> <p>Rights activists said the 66-year-old's overwhelming victory was a stark reminder of the lack of democracy in Rwanda. </p> <p>Only two candidates were authorized to run against him out of eight applicants, with several prominent Kagame critics barred. </p> <p>Democratic Green Party leader Frank Habineza scraped into second place with 0.5 percent of the vote against 0.32 percent for independent Philippe Mpayimana. </p> <p><strong>DRC cease-fire talks</strong></p> <p>Kagame is credited with rebuilding a ruined nation after the genocide, when Hutu extremists unleashed 100 days of vicious bloodletting targeting the Tutsi minority, killing around 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis but also Hutu moderates. </p> <p>But rights activists and opponents say he rules in a climate of fear, crushing any dissent with intimidation, arbitrary detentions, killings and enforced disappearances. </p> <p>Kigali is also accused of stoking instability in the east of its much larger neighbor the Democratic Republic of Congo. </p> <p>Angola's President Joao Lourenco, among those attending Sunday's ceremony, was due to have private talks with Kagame on a DRC ceasefire deal, the Angolan presidency said. </p> <p>Luanda brokered the agreement last month after a meeting between the foreign ministers of DRC and Rwanda, which is accused of backing the M23 rebel group fighting Kinshasa's armed forces. </p> <p>But on August 4, the day the deal was supposed to take effect, M23 rebels -- who have seized territory in the east since launching a new offensive at the end of 2021 -- captured a town on the border with Uganda. </p> <p>With 65 percent of the population aged under 30, Kagame is the only leader most Rwandans have ever known. </p> <p>"I proudly cast my vote for president Kagame and made it a priority to be here today to witness this historic inauguration," said Tania Iriza, a 27-year-old trader, one of the tens of thousands who turned out for the ceremony. </p> <p>"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." </p> <p>Kagame has won every presidential election he has contested, each time with more than 93 percent of the ballot. </p> <p>In 2015, he oversaw controversial constitutional amendments that shortened presidential terms to five years from seven but reset the clock for the Rwandan leader, allowing him to potentially rule until 2034. </p>
Content TypeText
LanguageEnglish
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateAugust 11, 2024 10:59 EDT
BylineAgence France-Presse
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
