KAMPALA–Rwanda’s incumbent President Paul Kagame has won 99.08 percent of the votes cast by Rwandan Diaspora community in Uganda preliminary results show.
In Kampala the Rwandans who turned up to vote at the Rwandan High Commission in Kampala numbered 9674. They included travellers who decided to vote from Kampala after the polls opening found them in the city.
Results from the Rwandan high commission in Kampala showed that Kagame got 9,554 votes, Frank Habineza 61 votes (0.63 percent) and Philippe Mpayimana 28 votes or 0.3 percent.
Rwandan Diaspora community across the world voted at various embassies on Thursday but the vote count was held up until Friday afternoon, with electoral commission officials explaining that the delay was meant to ensure that all the vote counting start at the same after voting in Rwanda was done.
Rwandan citizens at home went to poll Friday and vote counting is ongoing.
The electoral commission in Kigali is expected to start announcing the results at 9pm EAT and will have at least 70 percent of the results out by 10pm CAT.
Kagame is expected to sweep the polls in which he was challenged by two first-timers in Habineza, of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda that was founded eight years ago, and Mpayimana, an independent.
Friday’s election is Kagame’s third term in office after the constitution was last year revised to allow him continue his 17-year rule in Rwanda.
However, the constitutional change has been designed such that the country will have two five-year presidential term of office beginning 2024 when the forthcoming presidential tenure expires.
The Rwandan parliament reasoned that the seven-year term would allow Kagame wind up his leadership and prepare to transfer power in 2024 if he so wishes.
However, Kagame will be eligible for re-election for another two terms totaling ten years from 2024.
UGANDA RESULTS
Candidate Votes Vote percentage
Frank Habineza 61 0.63 percent
Phillipe Mpayimana 28 0.31 percent
Paul Kagame 9,554 99.08 percent
Invalid votes 31 0.32 percent
Turnout 9,674 87 percent
