Rwanda: President Kagame To Seek 4th Term In Office Despite Being In Power Since 2000

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has for the first time indicated readiness to run for a forth term in office in an election coming up next year.

“Yes, I am indeed a candidate,” Kagame, who has ruled over the country for decades, told Jeune Afrique, a French-language news magazine, in an interview published online on Tuesday.

“I am pleased with the confidence that Rwandans have placed in me. I will always serve them, as long as I can,” Kagame, 65 was quoted as saying.

Authorities in the East African country had in March harmonized dates for its parliamentary and presidential elections, scheduled to hold at the same time August next year.

The Rwandan leader presided over what is considered a controversial constitutional amendments in 2015, which allows him to run for more terms and stay in power until 2034.

A former rebel chief, Kagame became president in April 2000 but has been regarded as the country’s de facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide.

He was returned to office with more than 90 percent of the vote — in elections in 2003, 2010 and 2017.

While Rwanda lays claim to being one of the most stable countries in Africa, rights groups accuse Kagame of ruling in a climate of fear, stifling dissent and free speech.