Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rwanda elections 2017: A one-horse race?

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has won a third term in office with a landslide, the country's electoral commission has announced.

A final tally of votes gave him 98.63% of the votes, it said.

Mr Kagame's supporters, who say that he has brought stability and economic development after the horrors of the 1994 genocide, began celebrating before the announcement.

Critics - most of whom are outside the country - say he rules through fear.

After his victory, Mr Kagame vowed to keep up the country's economic growth.

"This is another seven years to take care of issues that affect Rwandans and ensure that we become real Rwandans who are [economically] developing," Mr Kagame said in a speech broadcast on live television.

Mr Kagame, who has been in power for 17 years, was challenged by Frank Habineza, from the Democratic Green Party, and Philippe Mpayimana, an independent.

Another independent challenger, businesswoman and rights activist Diane Shima Rwigara, was disqualified by the electoral commission.

Paul Kagame - visionary or tyrant?

Rwanda: 100 days of slaughter

The remaining eight opposition parties did not put forward a candidate and instead backed President Kagame.

The president previously called the election "just a formality".

Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Kagame voted in the capital Kigali

Mr Kagame, 59, came to power in 1994, when his Tutsi rebel group took control of the capital, Kigali, ending the genocide in which some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered.

Rwanda's constitution was amended in 2015, following a referendum, enabling Mr Kagame to run for a third term.

Beyond this, he could run again, potentially staying in power until 2034.

His two challengers have complained that their supporters have been intimidated, which they say explains the low turnout at their rallies.

The candidates have also accused some local authorities of undermining their campaigns.

The ruling party denies any accusations of wrongdoing.

Paul Kagame at a glance:

Image copyright AFP Image caption Paul Kagame won the 2010 election with 93% of the vote

Seen as military genius

His rebel forces helped end 1994 genocide - he has been in power ever since

Twice invaded much larger neighbour, DR Congo

Accused of suppressing the opposition and ordering assassination of critics

Sees Singapore and South Korea as models - economy growing at 7% a year

Champions women's rights; most MPs are women

Mysterious death of an exile

Rwanda country profile</s>Warning - there was an unexpected script error. Application may not work as expected.</s>President Paul Kagame has won Rwanda’s election by a landslide, granting him a third term in office and extending his 17-year rule over the central African nation.

The national electoral commission said Kagame had won over 98% of the vote. Frank Habineza of the opposition Democratic Green Party won 0.45% of the votes, while independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana secured 0.72%.

The 59-year-old Kagame has ruled over Rwanda in various capacities since 1994 when his rebel group ended the genocide that killed 800,000 people, many of them from the Tutsi minority group. Kagame first served as defense minister, then as vice president, befored ascending to the top post in 2000 when his predecessor resigned. In 2003, he was officially elected to office under the auspices of a new constitution and was re-elected in 2010 for a seven-year term.

Kagame was not supposed to run this time, but following an August 2015 consultation with “millions of Rwandans”, only ten people were found who opposed a constitutional amendment which took place later that year. The amendment lifted term limits, which could see him rule until 2034. The outcome of the current election was almost certain: the president himself has said that the poll was a mere formality.

Observers say Kagame’s presidency is buttressed by intimidation, with opposition to his government often muted. Critics of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front have also been known to disappear or wind up dead in the past. Last month, Human Rights Watch said that Rwandan officials, with the assistance of civilian authorities, were apprehending and “executing” suspected petty offenders as part of a government strategy to spread fear.

On the flip side, Kagame is credited with transforming Rwanda, achieving impressive development gains since 1994. The president has also overseen an agenda that aims to transform the country from a low-income, agriculture-based economy into a service oriented one. Its growing economy employs new technology such as drones, and there are plans to change its capital city of rolling hills and low-rise buildings into a so-called smart city. At 61%, the country is also home to the highest proportion of women in parliament in the world.

On election day, Kagame said that he would work to sustain economic grow th in the country. “This is another seven years to take care of issues that affect Rwandans and ensure that we become real Rwandans who are [economically] developing,” he said.

Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox.</s>Rwandans are going to the polls in presidential elections, with incumbent Paul Kagame widely expected to win his third term in office.

The 59-year-old is being challenged by Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana.

Mr Kagame is credited with the country’s rapid economic development since taking office in 2000.

But critics accuse him of suppressing dissent and political freedoms.

Polls across the country open at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) and will close at 16:00.

Mr Kagame, who represents the ruling RPF party, has widespread vocal support, the BBC’s Tomi Oladipo says.

The president has even referred to the vote as a mere formality, our correspondent adds.

Rwanda’s constitution was amended in 2015, giving Mr Kagame a chance to stay in power until 2034.

The two challengers have complained that their supporter are being intimidated, which they say explains the low turnout at their pre-election rallies.

The candidates have also accused some local authorities of undermining their campaign.

The ruling party denies any accusations of wrongdoing.</s>Rwanda’s longtime President Paul Kagame has won a third term in office in what he had called “a formality.” Electoral authorities overnight said Kagame has won more than 98 percent of the vote with 80 percent of the votes counted so far, with no major change expected when final results are announced today. He had faced two challengers. Kagame has already addressed jubilant supporters at party headquarters and urged Rwandans, including those who hadn’t supported him, to work together. Kagame has led the East African nation of 12 million people since the end of its genocide in 1994 in which more than 800,000 people died.

The 59-year-old president has been praised for the country’s economic growth, but human rights groups accuse his government of using state powers to silence opponents. Rwandan authorities deny it. A constitutional amendment in 2015 allows Kagame to stay in power until 2034 if he pursues it. Kagame was running against Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda the only permitted opposition party and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana. Three potential candidates were disqualified for allegedly failing to fulfil requirements including collecting enough signatures. With 80 per cent of the votes counted, Mpayimana had received just 0.72 per cent and conceded defeat and congratulated Kagame. Habineza received 0.45 per cent.

Candidates had been barred from putting campaign posters in most public places, including schools and hospitals. The electoral commission vetted candidates’ campaign messages, warning that their social media accounts could be blocked otherwise. More than 80 per cent of Rwanda’s 6.9 million registered voters cast their ballots, according to Charles Munyaneza, executive secretary of the Rwanda Electoral Commission.</s>Rwanda’s long-time President Paul Kagame has easily won a third term in office in a vote he had called “a formality”.

The result gives him another seven years leading the small east African nation praised for its economic performance but criticised for its silencing of opponents.

Electoral authorities overnight said Mr Kagame had won more than 98% of the vote with 80% of ballots counted, with no major change expected when final results are announced later on Saturday.

He addressed jubilant supporters at party headquarters and urged Rwandans, including those who did not support him, to work together.

“This election was criticised so much due to me continuing to be your leader, especially people from outside the country because they oppose the will of Rwandans,” he told supporters. “But Rwandans have shown that it was not manipulated by anyone but their own will.”

Mr Kagame has led the country of 12 million people since his rebels helped to end its genocide in 1994 during which more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by Hutu extremists.

The 59-year-old has been praised for the country’s economic growth, but human rights groups accuse his government of using state powers to silence opposition. Rwandan authorities, including the president, deny it.

A constitutional amendment in 2015 allows him to stay in power until 2034 if he pursues it.

Mr Kagame was running against Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda - the only permitted opposition party - and independent candidate and former journalist Philippe Mpayimana.

Three potential candidates were disqualified for allegedly failing to fulfil requirements including collecting enough signatures.

With 80% of votes counted, Mr Mpayimana had just 0.72% and conceded defeat and congratulated Mr Kagame. Mr Habineza had 0.45%.

More than 80% of Rwanda’s 6.9 million registered voters cast their ballots, according to Charles Munyaneza, executive secretary of the Rwanda Electoral Commission.

In Rwanda’s capital Kigali, there had been little hint of the coming vote. Candidates had been barred from putting campaign posters in most public places, including schools and hospitals.

The electoral commission vetted candidates’ campaign messages, warning that their social media accounts could be blocked otherwise.

Two decades of often deadly attacks on political opponents, journalists and rights activists created a “climate of fear” ahead of Rwanda’s election, Amnesty International said in a report last month.

In 2010, Mr Kagame won with 93% of the vote.

In July, he told a campaign rally that “the day of the presidential elections will just be a formality”.</s>President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has won a third term in office with a landslide, the country’s electoral commission has announced.

Partial results of Friday’s election gave him 98% of the votes, it said.

Mr Kagame’s supporters, who say that he has brought stability and economic development after the horrors of the 1994 genocide, began celebrating before the announcement.

Critics – most of whom are outside the country – say he rules through fear.

After his victory, Mr Kagame vowed to keep up the country’s economic growth.

“This is another seven years to take care of issues that affect Rwandans and ensure that we become real Rwandans who are [economically] developing,” Mr Kagame said in a speech broadcast on live television.

Mr Kagame, who has been in power for 17 years, was challenged by Frank Habineza, from the Democratic Green Party, and Philippe Mpayimana, an independent.

Another independent challenger, businesswoman and rights activist Diane Shima Rwigara, was disqualified by the electoral commission.

The remaining eight opposition parties did not put forward a candidate and instead backed President Kagame.

Mr Kagame, 59, came to power in 1994, when his Tutsi rebel group took control of the capital, Kigali, ending the genocide in which some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered.

Rwanda’s constitution was amended in 2015, following a referendum, enabling Mr Kagame to run for a third term.

Beyond this, he could run again, potentially staying in power until 2034.

His two challengers have complained that their supporters have been intimidated, which they say explains the low turnout at their rallies.

The candidates have also accused some local authorities of undermining their campaigns.

The ruling party denies any accusations of wrongdoing.</s>Rwandans vote in a presidential election today widely expected to return strongman Paul Kagame to office for a third seven-year term at the helm of the small east African nation. Kagame, 59, is facing two little-known candidates who have made little impact in only three weeks of campaigning against the incumbent and his all-powerful Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).

Tens of thousands of cheering supporters, waving little red, white and blue flags, feted Kagame at his final rally Wednesday, praising the man who halted the 1994 genocide and has been de-facto leader of Rwanda ever since.

“I support President Kagame because he stopped the genocide and because he brought development to Rwanda,” said supporter Ngendahimana Narcisse.

Another backer, Mukashimyirimiza Zainabu, said Kagame had “built schools, he’s provided healthcare, roads, electricity so we’re really behind him.”

In contrast, only a few hundred people have attended the rallies of Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party — the only permitted critical opposition party — and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana.

The opponents have complained about the limited time given to fundraise and campaign, which critics see as further evidence of Kagame’s clampdown on the opposition.

“It is short, we would have liked at least two months. Towards the end of the campaign the number of people at our rallies increased a lot,” said Jean-Claude Ntezimana, the executive secretary of the Green Party.

Habineza told AFP at a recent rally that putting up banners and posters had also been a challenge.

“They told us we cannot put our banners or flags where the RPF’s things are, but unfortunately the RPF put theirs almost everywhere,” he said.

Kagame’s election is seen as assured after 98 percent of Rwandans approved a constitutional amendment in a 2015 referendum that granted him the right to run for a third term in office. Observers condemned the reform, which could potentially see Kagame seek re-election twice more and remain in office until 2034.

Kagame, a lanky former guerrilla fighter, was just 36 when his rebel army routed extremist Hutu forces who slaughtered an estimated 800,000 people — mainly minority Tutsis — and seized Kigali.

He served first as vice-president and defence minister, although he was widely considered the de facto leader of the country and was appointed as president by lawmakers in 2000.

He was first elected to the post in 2003 and again in 2010 with more than 90 per cent of votes.

He is credited with a remarkable turnaround in the shattered nation, bringing stability and annual economic growth of about seven percent.

However, rights groups accuse him of ruling through fear, relying on a systematic repression of the opposition, free speech and the media.

Critics have been assassinated, jailed or forced into exile, and some observers believe the only reason Habineza and Mpayimana have been allowed to run is that they pose no threat.

“There is no election in Rwanda, there is a coronation declaring Kagame the king,” outspoken local journalist Robert Mugabe told AFP.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>President Donald Trump has shown a fondness for strong, decisive leaders during his first half-year in office.

Among others, Trump has praised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his fight against Islamist militants; held a “very friendly” phone call with Philippines’ leader Rodrigo Duterte; and, of course, shown a keen interest in building a strong relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Rwanda’s Paul Kagame seems to fit this mold well. The 59-year-old has rebuilt Rwanda from one of the worst genocides in history to a thriving economy and the easiest place to do business in mainland Africa. Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) ousted the Hutu extremists perpetrating the genocide in 1994 and has since protected the country from raging instability in neighboring countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.

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“Kagame is the kind of leader that Trump likes,” says Phil Clark, a Rwanda expert and reader in international politics at SOAS University of London. “Trump likes to deal with leaders he considers decisive and forthright and willing to use force when necessary.”

According to Kagame’s critics, Rwanda’s progress has come at a cost. Rights groups say that Kagame has created a one-party state, crushing political opposition and imposing severe restrictions on freedom of speech. Kagame is a “postcolonial dictator,” according to author Anjan Sundaram, who has mythologized his role in ending Rwanda’s genocide to the point that he is applauded by those within and outside his country.

Read more: Is Rwandan President Paul Kagame a savior or a dictator?

Rwanda is voting in a presidential election on Friday. The president himself has described the vote as a “formality.” Only two opposition candidates—one an independent, the other a leader of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, which only came into being in 2009—are running against Kagame. At the last election in 2010, Kagame got 93 percent of the vote.

Should Kagame extend his 17-year-term in office by another seven years, it would ostensibly pose a conundrum for the United States. According to previous U.S. statements on the matter, Kagame technically shouldn’t even be running in the election.

Rwanda held a constitutional referendum in December 2015, in which 98 percent of voters backed the removal of term limits that would have barred Kagame from running in the 2017 elections. In response, the Obama administration State Department said it was “deeply disappointed” by Kagame’s decision to bid for re-election. (Kagame was dismissive of the U.S. reaction, tweeting that Africa’s problems “will not be easily solved by what is behind this ‘deep disappointment’ attitude.”

But since then, Washington and other Western nations appear to be resigned to Kagame staying in power. While there have been few clues to Africa policy since President Trump came to office—bar possible cuts in peacekeeping missions and foreign aid—it appears that the relationship between Washington and Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, will be dominated by pragmatism. A U.S. official who asked to be quoted anonymously tells Newsweek : “Our hope [for the election is] that the Rwandan people have the opportunity to express their will.”

If Trump’s boast that he likes war heroes “who weren’t captured,” proves true, Kagame certainly fits the bill. The Rwandan genocide broke out following the assassination of former President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose plane was shot down in April 1994; the event sparked a mass campaign of violence by extremists from the Hutu ethnic majority, who slaughtered more than 800,000 people, mostly from the Tutsi minority, in 100 days. The RPF, commanded by Kagame (who has been accused of shooting down Habyarimana’s plane and sparking the genocide, which he denies), captured Kigali in July 1994, forcing many of the Hutus extremists into neighboring Congo, then Zaire.

Kagame served as minister of defense and vice-president from 1994 to 2000 before assuming the presidency in 2000. In almost two decades in power, Rwanda has garnered a reputation under Kagame as clean and efficient. The country remains dependent on foreign aid for 30-40 percent of its budget, but is known as an prudent spender of its aid.

The United States has given almost $1.5 billion in aid to Rwanda between 2007-2016; the country usually receives slightly more than the regional average. Under Trump, foreign aid looks less likely to be tied to goals such as promoting democracy and human rights, and more like an efficient economic exchange. That’s good news for Rwanda, says Clark.

“Ultimately, this is a relationship that is about the spending of donor aid,” he says. “So Rwanda has absolutely nothing to fear from this turn under the Trump administration towards favoring the economic dimension of aid over the human rights and political dimension.”

While Kagame seems to be the kind of president Trump could get along with, it’s not clear if the same is true in reverse. Clark says that Kagame has an austere and quiet leadership style, as opposed to Trump’s outspoken, grandiose pronouncements. (Kagame is also active on Twitter, albeit not as vociferously as Trump. “He could possibly be a bit suspicious of someone like Trump, who is volatile and flamboyant,” says Clark.

But points of similarity are clear, even among the supporters of both leaders. David Simon, senior lecturer in political science at Yale University who has studied the Rwandan genocide, points out that Kagame’s supporters have described one of his rallies as “perhaps the biggest political gathering in Africa’s history.” The comment is reminiscent of Trump’s ex-press secretary Sean Spicer characterizing the size of the crowd at his January swearing-in as “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.”

“So perhaps there could be some grounds for affinity!” says Simon.</s>Rwandans on Saturday celebrated the third term victory of President Paul Kagame who pledged to continue transforming the nation after winning re-election with a record 98 percent of the vote.

There had been little doubt that the 59-year-old would return to the helm of the east African nation which he has ruled with an iron fist since the end of the 1994 genocide.

"I am very pleased. I had hoped for this victory," said Yvette Uwineza, a 36-year-old computer scientist. "The continuity is reassuring," she said, crediting Kagame with developing the country and creating "a better life for Rwandans."

Interim results published by the electoral commission on Saturday gave Kagame an unprecedented victory, outstripping the 95 percent he took in 2003 and 93 percent in 2010.

Saturday's tally matched the proportion of people who supported a constitutional amendment two years ago permitting Kagame to run for a third, fourth and fifth term potentially seeing him rule until 2034.

"I honored your request, and this (election) confirms that Rwandans made a choice based on the future they want," Kagame told thousands of supporters at his ruling party's headquarters in Kigali in the early hours of the morning.

"We are going to continue with the work we started by advocating for a better Rwanda."

Final results are due later Saturday and the commission estimates 97 percent of 6.9 million voters turned out to cast their ballots.

Of the results so far announced, Kagame had 98.66 percent while his two little-known rivals barely made a dent.

Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party -- the only permitted critical opposition party -- won just 0.45 percent of votes, beaten into third place by the little-known independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana with 0.72.

"I accept the result and congratulate the RPF and Paul Kagame," Mpayimana told AFP.

"I am not going to stop here. I urge all citizens to join be so we can become stronger for the next election."

Rwandans celebrated Kagame's win in muted fashion, with no spontaneous large gatherings in the disciplined nation.

Inside a gymnasium in the capital music and dancers entertained hundreds of party loyalists who celebrated into the morning.

"We are celebrating the presidential election," said one young man as he danced. "We are celebrating Paul Kagame!" another yelled out next to him.

Kagame has been the de facto leader of Rwanda since, as a 36-year-old, his rebel army routed extremist Hutu forces who slaughtered an estimated 800,000 people -- mainly minority Tutsis -- and seized Kigali in 1994.

He was first appointed president by lawmakers in 2000.

The lanky former guerilla fighter is one of Africa's most divisive leaders, with some hailing him as a visionary while critics see a despot aiming to become one of the continent's presidents-for-life.

Kagame is credited with a remarkable turnaround in the shattered nation, which boasts annual economic growth of about seven percent, is safe, clean and does not tolerate corruption. Rwanda also has the highest number of female lawmakers in the world.

However rights groups accuse Kagame of ruling through fear, relying on systematic repression of the opposition, free speech and the media.

Kagame's critics have ended up jailed, forced into exile or assassinated. Few Rwandans would dare to openly speak against him.
Voters in Rwanda go to the polls to elect their president. Paul Kagame, incumbent since 2000, referred to the election as a formality, despite challenges from the Democratic Greens' Frank Habineza and independent Philippe Mpayimana. Kagame is re-elected with 98.66 of the vote.