Rwandans go to polls in election ‘formality’

Rwandans voted in an election yesterday that the country’s long-time president was widely expected to win, while the foreign minister mocked the head of Human Rights Watch for calling the government a “murderous dictatorship”.

President Paul Kagame, who won the 2010 election with 93 per cent of the vote, toldarallyinjuly“thedayof the presidential elections will just be a formality”.

The Rwanda Electoral Commission said more than 80 per cent of Rwanda’s 6.9 million registered voters cast their ballots.

Mr Kagame, 59, has led the African nation since his rebels ended the 1994 genocide that left more than 800,000 people dead.

A constitutional amendment allows him to stay in power until 2034 if he pursues it.