Rwandan President Paul Kagame dismissed critics who opposed his bid to rule Rwanda for the next 10 years.
Kagame specifically shut down the West while insisting that he run for a fourth term in next year’s elections.
“I’m sorry for the West, but what the West thinks is not my problem.”
“People are supposed to be independent and should be allowed to organize themselves as they wish,” Kagame, 65, told the French-language Magazine Jeune Afrique.
In March, the Rwandan government decided to synchronize the dates of its legislative and presidential elections, due to take place in August 2024.
Until then, Kagame had not openly expressed his intentions, but he has made controversial constitutional amendments that have enabled him to serve a third term and could allow him to govern until 2034.
The United States in 2015 criticized the constitutional change, stating that Kagame should step down when his term ended and allow a new generation of leaders to come through.
However, Kagame dismissed the critics maintaining that he was a candidate in the 2024 polls.
“I am happy with the confidence Rwandans have shown in me. I will always serve them as long as I can. Yes, I am indeed a candidate,” he stated.
A former rebel leader, Kagame has been considered the country’s de facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide.
He was returned to power – with over 90 per cent of the vote – in the 2003, 2010, and 2017 elections.
While Rwanda now claims to be one of the most stable countries on the African continent, Kagame faces mounting criticism.
Human rights groups accuse him of ruling in a climate of fear. They accused his government of targeting political opponents, including with extrajudicial killings, and muzzled the independent media. The government denied all the allegations.
The only other candidate so far in the presidential race is lawmaker Frank Habineza of the Green Democratic party.
He stated that he was not surprised by Kagame’s announcement and would continue to fight for democracy.
