Ahead of the July 15th presidential election in Rwanda, two presidential candidates are contesting against the incumbent president Paul Kagame.
During the July 15th elections, Rwandans will choose between the 3 presidential candidates and over 500 aspiring MPs.
The Rwanda National Electoral Commission had last week Friday unveiled the names of candidates in the presidential and parliamentary polls.
Paul Kagame has been Rwanda’s president for 23 years and has been the head of the Rwandan Patriotic Front since 1998.
He will face Frank Habineza of the opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and Philippe Mpayimana who runs as an independent candidate.
According to the National Electoral Commission, a total of 9 candidates submitted their candidacy to the Commission.
Habineza ran during the last presidential poll and garnered less than 2% of votes.
Kagame won previous elections in 2003, 2010 and 2017 with more than 90 per cent of the vote.
Critics and rights groups have accused him of ruling in a climate of fear that stifles dissent and free speech.
Last April, the Liberal Party (PL), and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) endorsed the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) candidate Paul Kagame. In doing so, they joined four smaller political parties, which are already in a coalition with the ruling RPF in endorsing Kagame.
