Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been re-elected with an emphatic 99.18% of the vote, according to full provisional results on Thursday, but rights activists say the outcome is a stark reminder of the lack of democracy in the country.
A crushing victory in Monday's vote was never in doubt for the all-powerful Kagame, who has ruled the small African nation as de facto leader then president for three decades.
The 66-year-old – who will extend his rule by another five years – won by an even bigger margin than in the last presidential ballot seven years ago, when he secured 98.79%.
Democratic Green Party leader Frank Habineza garnered just 0.5% and independent Philippe Mpayimana 0.32%, according to the National Electoral Commission.
'Limited political space'
The men, who had also challenged Kagame in 2017, were the only two candidates approved to run this year after several opposition figures were barred.
Kagame is credited with rebuilding a shattered nation after the 1994 genocide, but is also accused of ruling in a climate of fear.
Several regional leader s have already congratulated Kagame on his fourth term, but rights campaigners reacted with dismay.
"Kagame's unprecedented score of over 99% in the election should be seen as a reflection of just how limited political space for the opposition is in Rwanda today," said Clementine de Montjoye, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
'Not shocking'
The outcome "does not bode well for anyone seeking to engage in legitimate and credible opposition activities."
But motorbike taxi rider Joseph Byirongiro, 35, hailed the result.
"This is what I expected and wanted. Kagame is a good leader and I voted for him," he told AFP.
"Such a score is not shocking here in Rwanda, that's why foreigners will always be confused, but this is how we vote in big numbers."
Won every election
Kagame has won every presidential election he has contested with more than 93% of the ballot.
In 2015, he oversaw controversial constitutional amendments that shortened presidential terms to five years from seven but reset the clock for the Rwandan leader, allowing him to potentially rule until 2034.
With 65% of the population aged under 30, Kagame is the only leader most Rwandans have ever known.
Over nine million people – including two million first-time voters – were registered, with the presidential race being held simultaneously as legislative elections for the first time.
Definitive results are due to be released by July 27.
Barred from running
But leading anti-Kagame critics were absent from the line-up.
Rwandan courts had rejected appeals from prominent opposition figures Bernard Ntaganda and Victoire Ingabire to remove previous convictions that effectively disqualified them from running.
The election commission also barred high-profile critic Diane Rwigara, citing issues with her paperwork – the second time she was excluded.
Ntaganda denounced the result as "without glory or political and popular triumph" following an election marred by the "complete absence of any legitimate and independent opposition."
Parliamentary dominance
Kagame's ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) also reinforced its dominance of parliament, winning 68.83% of the vote in the legislative elections while two allies garnered more than 17% between them.
In the outgoing assembly, the RPF held 40 of the 53 seats elected by universal suffrage, and its allies 11, while Habineza's party had two.
Another 27 spots are reserved for women, the youth and people with disabilities.
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