Polls Close In Rwanda's Presidential Elections
- 14 years ago
Polls have closed and vote counting is set to begin in Rwanda's presidential elections. Current president Paul Kagame is widely expected to win, though stands accused of violence and repression against his rivals.
Polls close at 3 pm local time in Rwanda's presidential elections on Monday.
The poll has seen large numbers of Rwandans come out to vote in the country's second presidential elections since the 1994 genocide.
Current president Paul Kagame is expected to win by a landslide.
Voters queued before sunrise in the central African nation.
The election campaign has been marred by repression and violence against Kagame's rivals and critics, according to human rights groups.
Analysts said the electorate was expected to vote overwhelmingly for Kagame, partly because of the economic growth and stability he has delivered during his decade in power, but also because of the crackdown on rivals and critics.
Kagame assumed the presidency in 2000, but has been in de facto power since his rebel army swept to power and ended the slaughter of 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutu in 1994.
The genocide was spawned, in part, by a surge of radical ethnic politics that followed the birth of multiparty democracy in the central African country in the early 1990s.
Some 5.2 million Rwandans were eligible to vote. Independent electoral observers say the election is expected to be more transparent than a legislative vote held in 2008.
Results will be posted outside all polling stations. Officials say the preliminary results will be released later in the day.
Polls close at 3 pm local time in Rwanda's presidential elections on Monday.
The poll has seen large numbers of Rwandans come out to vote in the country's second presidential elections since the 1994 genocide.
Current president Paul Kagame is expected to win by a landslide.
Voters queued before sunrise in the central African nation.
The election campaign has been marred by repression and violence against Kagame's rivals and critics, according to human rights groups.
Analysts said the electorate was expected to vote overwhelmingly for Kagame, partly because of the economic growth and stability he has delivered during his decade in power, but also because of the crackdown on rivals and critics.
Kagame assumed the presidency in 2000, but has been in de facto power since his rebel army swept to power and ended the slaughter of 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutu in 1994.
The genocide was spawned, in part, by a surge of radical ethnic politics that followed the birth of multiparty democracy in the central African country in the early 1990s.
Some 5.2 million Rwandans were eligible to vote. Independent electoral observers say the election is expected to be more transparent than a legislative vote held in 2008.
Results will be posted outside all polling stations. Officials say the preliminary results will be released later in the day.