KIGALI, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was sworn into office on Sunday for a five-year term, after a landslide win in last month’s election extended his near quarter century in office.
The 66-year-old former rebel leader won the July poll with 99.18% of the vote, after eight other candidates including his most vocal critics were barred by the electoral commission.
It will be interesting to see how Rwanda manages after Kagame leaves the scene. In the past, he has styled himself after Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, but Lee stepped down and left behind a well functioning civil service and a second generation of political leaders who weren’t hacks. Kagame seems to be avoiding talk about succession plans, which is not a good sign.