By Brian Okoth
Many predicted that Rwanda's President Paul Kagame would easily retain his seat in the July 15 presidential election, but what they couldn't pick out with precision, was the percentage of victory.
But for a man who – until now – had scored a minimum of 93% in elections, his vote share could only be around that figure.
Kagame, who has been in power for over two decades, has participated in four presidential elections.
He first became president in 2000 after the resignation of President Pasteur Bizimungu.
Voter turnout
Kagame then ran for election in 2003 and garnered 95% of the vote. He sought re-election in 2010, getting 93% of the vote.
In 2017, he secured 98.9%, and most recently in July this year, he got over 99%.
Rwanda's voter turnout, which has averaged above 90% over the years, has also been a subject of discussion.
But, how does Kagame fare compared with other elected African presidents?
Obiang: 'King of 90 per cents'
Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power for nearly 45 years now, has tasted a voter score of over 90% a couple of times.
Across five elections between 1996 and 2022, Obiang got between 94% and 98% at the ballot box.
Cameroon's Paul Biya, who has been president for nearly 42 years, has oscillated between 40% and 93% at the ballot box in five elections.
His lowest score was in 1992 when he got 40%, and the highest in 1997, when he got 93%.
Museveni has never scored over 74%
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has vied in three elections, tasted an almost perfect score in 2014 and 2018, when he got 97% of the vote.
In 2023 he got nearly 90% of the vote.
Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for 38 years, and taken part in at least six elections, has never scored above 74% at the ballot box.
He has ranged between 59% and 74%, with the lowest score coming in the 2006 elections, while the highest being in the 1996 polls.
Tinubu's 37%
Kenya's President William Ruto got 50.5% to win the 2022 elections against Raila Odinga, who got 49% of the vote.
The highest score Togo's Faure Gnassingbe has received at the ballot box is 71%. He has been president for 19 years, and taken part in three elections during that period.
Congo Republic's Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has been president for about 40 years, got 89% as his highest vote score.
Nigeria's Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of the 2023 election with 37% of the vote.
Multi-party democracy
Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana have both served two terms, with their scores at the ballot box ranging between 51% and 56%.
Other presidents in the 50 percent-vote range are The Gambia's Adama Barrow, Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema and Malawi's Lazarus Chakwera
Questions still lurk – how does a presidential candidate get almost all the cast votes in a multi-party democracy?
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