Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, was sworn-in on Friday for a third seven-year term, setting him on a path that could keep him in power through 2034.
He won the August 3 elections with 98.63 per cent of the vote.
“Africa is on the right path, and we are going to do just fine,’’ the 59-year-old said during a ceremony in the capital, Kigali.
Kagame added: “I will continue to work for Rwandans with pride and honour.”
The ceremony was attended by several African leaders, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes.
Rwanda has not signed the treaties that created the court, and is thus, not required to hand al-Bashir over.
Kagame was able to seek a third term after a 2015 referendum saw 98 per cent of the electorate in favour of changing the constitution to allow him to run in the August polls.
The president’s Rwandan Patriotic Front has governed the country since its armed wing defeated the country’s ruling civilian and military authorities in 1994, ending the genocide of 800,000 Tutsis, Kagame’s ethnic group, and moderate Hutus.
Kagame became president in 2000, but had already wielded wide-ranging powers after the genocide was halted.
The president’s critics allege repression, including killings, of the opposition.
Kagame also enjoys widespread popularity, having transformed the country ravaged by genocide and civil war into one of Africa’s stablest nations.
Kagame has overseen strong economic growth, at an average of eight per cent between 2001 and 2015, while also turning Rwanda into a technological hub and uprooting corruption.
Kagame takes oath of office for third term
