Rwanda: President Paul Kagame has been re-elected for a fourth term with 99% lead with a 98% voter turnout

Guest: Nixon Katembo, Channel Africa The elections and the turnout Kagame’s win 4th term and expectations Kagame’s leadership style and dealing with detractors Succession plan                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      More than 9 million Rwandans were called to vote for a new president on Monday, and according to official results, more than 99% of them supported the incumbent Paul Kagame for a fourth term. Soon after polls closed on Monday evening, the election commission said that Kagame had won 99.15% of the votes.  It also put turnout at a staggeringly high 98%. By comparison, even in those few countries where citizens are legally obliged to vote or face a fine, such as Australia, turnout only ever tends to be between 90 and 95%.  Same opposition candidates, similarly poor performance The apparent interest in the vote was all the more surprising, given that it was effectively a re-run of a non-contest in 2017, when Kagame won 98.79% of the vote.  Only two opposition candidates, the same ones as in 2017, had been allowed to compete. Eight people had applied. Frank Habineza, the leader of the Democratic Green Party, looked set to claim 0.53% of votes, compared to 0.48% in 2017. Philippe Mpayimana, an independent, was on track for 0.32%, according to early projections.