According to David Maraga, the head of the East African Community (EAC) election observation team dispatched to Rwanda, the election was one of the best-organized electoral processes he has seen. However, such a remark is not enough to put an end to debates about whether the elections were free and fair.
For some, the election results reflect the popularity of Kagame and the RPF, as demonstrated by the massive turnout at the presidential campaign rallies. For others, it is yet another sign that the 2024 elections were merely a formality.
A presidential candidate winning 99% of the votes is an unusual occurrence, but what is unusual isn't necessarily bad. The natural reaction to these results should be to ask why Paul Kagame remains such a popular figure in Rwanda even after two decades in power. No matter where you look for the answer, one thing must be acknowledged: Paul Kagame holds an unchallenged position in Rwanda's post-1994 politics. Rwandans view Kagame as the architect of Rwanda's development, and a future without him is one many are not ready to imagine, let alone embrace.
Unfortunately, the world shows little interest in hearing what Rwandans, especially young Rwandans, have to say about their views on Rwanda's politics. Time and again, international critics have shown an unwillingness to accept that the Rwandan people are rational thinkers with agency, and hence, their choices are not taken seriously.
Discussing Rwandan politics as simply undemocratic or dictatorial is too simplistic. It is not that Rwanda doesn't aspire to democracy, but that democracy is not in any way an end in itself. Rwanda is a country where politics was once a matter of life and death. Present-day Rwanda is one that many could not have even dreamed of 30 years ago. For that reason, Rwandans think and act within a historical context, not just in abstract concepts or theoretical frameworks.
Rwandans, like any people in the world, have the ultimate wish to live in peace, have security, and improve their living standards. To them, meaningful politics and voting are those that allow them to maintain what they have achieved over the last 30 years and hope for even better living conditions.
Otto von Bismarck's saying that 'politics is the art of the possible' captures the essence of Rwanda's politics in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. While many thought Rwanda would forever remain a failed state, the RPF managed to start from scratch and build a country with a new unifying identity for all Rwandans.
Rwandans have tested and approved of Paul Kagame's leadership. While the world is more concerned about when Kagame will step down, the majority of Rwandans want to continue living under the stability of his leadership. The unknowns of new leadership are not attractive to them. Dismissing them for not thinking beyond Kagame or belittling their choice using lofty terms like democracy is unfair.
As for Rwanda's future, no one can be certain. But one thing is sure: Rwandans are far more united than they were decades ago. If they could rebuild their country after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, they will not fail to continue along that path now that they are more united and share a vision of a more prosperous Rwanda.
About the author:
Claudine Ukubereyimfura
Learning Coach at the African Leadership University
BA in International Studies from Yonsei University
MA in China Studies (Politics and International Relations) from Yenching Academy of Peking University
Claudine Ukubereyimfura
