Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has announced his intention to seek re-election in 2024, hoping to extend nearly a quarter of a century in power. Kagame, who became president in 2000, can continue in office for another decade due to a 2015 constitutional amendment that altered term limits, allowing him to step down two years later. In an interview with Jeune Afrique magazine, Kagame expressed his happiness with the confidence shown by the Rwandans and stated that he will always serve them. The president won the last election in August 2017 for a seven-year term with 98.63 percent of the vote.
He was re-elected as chair of the governing Rwandan Patriotic Front party earlier this year for another five-year term. Kagame has faced criticism for suppressing political opposition and muzzling independent media. The country was ranked 131 out of 180 in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. Green Party and opposition leader Frank Habineza said the president’s plan to stand again next year is not a surprise and that they are getting organized better as a political party to put up a better campaign.