Rwanda election: Paul Kagame seeks fourth term as president

Since then, he has been praised for overseeing the country’s dramatic revival and unifying the country.

“Rwanda was 30 years ago essentially written off – but thanks to some extent to the leadership under Kagame and his ruling party Rwanda managed to build some stability,” Dr Felix Ndahinda, a scholar on the Great Lakes region, told the BBC.

But his critics have accused Mr Kagame of not allowing any opposition – to the extent of orchestrating cross-border assassinations of dissidents.

Mr Kagame has always fiercely defended Rwanda’s record on human rights, saying his country respects political freedoms.

But one analyst told the BBC the election was a mere “formality”.

About nine million people are registered to vote, according to the electoral body, and at least two million are first-time voters.

A provisional winner should be known by Tuesday morning.

Voters will elect the president and 53 members of the lower House of Parliament on Monday, while 27 other MPs will be elected the following day.

“I am very excited about voting for my first time, I can’t wait,” Sylvia Mutoni told the BBC.

For most young people in Rwanda, Mr Kagame is the only leader they have ever known.

Even while vice-president and defence minister from 1994 to 2000 he was the country’s real leader, and has been president since 2000.

The two opposition candidates – Frank Habineza, of the Democratic Green Party and independent Philippe Mpayimana – both ran in the 2017 election, where they took less than 1% of the vote between them.

But they are undeterred.

“I believe democracy is a process,” Mr Habineza told the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.

“People still have a fear of expressing their opinions. I’m fighting for freedom of speech, freedom of the media,” he said.

And some Rwandans are listening to him. One voter told the BBC he would not be voting for the incumbent president.

Celestin Mutuyeyezu, 28, used to support Mr Kagame, but this election has been swayed by Mr Habineza.

“He said great things on fighting unemployment, and he’s got me,” he said.

But defeating President Kagame may prove difficult.

Diane Rwigara, an outspoken critic of the president, was barred from running in the election. She was also disqualified in 2017.

“Rwanda is portrayed as a country where the economy has been growing. But on the ground, it’s different. People do lack the basics of life, food, water, shelter,” she told the BBC.

The electoral commission said she had failed to provide correct documentation.