dpa
Kigali
Voters across Rwanda were taking to the polls on Monday to elect the next president and parliament in a vote where incumbent Paul Kagame is widely anticipated to win a fourth term in office.
Kagame has two opposing candidates, but has received more than 90 percent of the vote in each of the previous elections. At the same time, one major opponent was not authorized as a candidate.
Human rights organisations have criticised the persecution of opposition figures in the East African country with a population of over 14 million.
Kagame’s party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), is also likely to emerge as the strongest party in the upcoming parliamentary elections. There are 670 candidates vying for the 80 seats in parliament. A special feature is that female MPs make up a majority in parliament.
Kagame has been president of the country since 2000, but has, in practice, been leading Rwanda since 1994. Back then, as leader of the RPF, he marched into Rwanda from exile in Uganda and ended the genocide of the Hutu militias against the Tutsi. He was then Defence Minister and Vice President.
Polling stations were open from 6 am to 6pm.
The official election results are to be announced on July 27, with the first preliminary results expected on Wednesday.