Rwandan President Paul Kagame is poised to extend his 24-year rule by another five years with a landslide victory, as most of the votes from Monday’s election have been counted.
Partial results announced by the electoral commission show that he has 99.15% of the vote so far, with about 79% of ballots counted.
The 66-year-old faced no significant opposition, with prominent figures barred from running. His two challengers collectively garnered less than 1% of the vote.
Mr. Kagame expressed gratitude to Rwandans for their trust during an address at his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) party headquarters.
“These are not just figures, even if it were 100%, these are not just numbers. [They] show trust, and that is what is most important,” Mr Kagame said.
His opponents – environmentalist Frank Habineza and journalist and author Philippe Mpayimana – have 0.53% and 0.32%, respectively.
The full provisional results are expected by July 20, with the final results to be released by July 27.
These results are unsurprising, reflecting the 2017 election in which the same candidates competed, and Mr. Kagame won with 98.8% of the vote.
At least three candidates were disqualified from running, including Diane Rwigara, a vocal critic of Mr. Kagame.
The electoral commission reports that 98% of the over 9.5 million eligible voters participated in the elections.
Voters were choosing a president and 53 legislators.
Elections for 27 special seats designated for women, young people, and people with disabilities are scheduled for Tuesday.
Mr. Kagame has been Rwanda’s de facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide and has served as president since 2000.
While rights groups accuse him of restricting freedoms, his supporters credit him with economic growth and reducing ethnic divisions.