Paul Kagame declares he will run for fourth term

Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, has announced for the first time that he intends to run for a fourth term in the elections that will take place in 2019.

In an interview that was published online on Tuesday by the French-language daily magazine Jeune Afrique, Kagame, who has dominated the nation with an iron fist for decades, said, “Yes, I am indeed a contender.

“I am grateful for the trust that Rwandans have in me. As long as I am able, I will always be there for them, the 65-year-old was reported as saying.

The parliamentary and presidential elections in Rwanda, which are scheduled for August of next year, were synchronised in March by the country’s leadership.

Although Kagame had not previously made his intentions public, he oversaw contentious constitutional changes that permitted him to win a third term.

Kagame, a former rebel leader, has been recognised as the nation’s de facto leader since the 1994 genocide was put to a halt.

In 2017, he received nearly 99 percent of the vote and won a third term.

AFP