The country recorded an impressive 98.20% voter turnout among the nine million people who registered to vote in the election.
The voter turnout was, however, not surprising given the previous trend. It represented a 0.05% increase from the voter turnout of 98.15% recorded in the 2017 presidential election.
Compared with the parliamentary elections of 2018, where 93% of registered voters participated, it was an increase of 5%.
Rwanda's voter turnout is encouraging compared to neighbouring countries in the East African region and beyond.
Kenya, which held its general election in 2022, recorded a 64.77% voter turnout in the presidential election, Uganda's turnout in 2021 was 59.35%, while Tanzania's turnout in the 2020 election was 50.72%.
Low voter turnout has also been observed in developed countries like the United States, where only 66.6% of the 161.42 million registered voters participated in the 2020 election. Moreover, 40% of eligible voters, mostly young people, did not vote in the 2016 election.
Voter indifference across the world remains debatable, but there is a general consensus that mistrust in electoral systems, political violence, intimidation, and lack of civic education contribute to the issue.
Charles Munyaneza, the Executive Secretary of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), highlighted in a recent exclusive interview with IGIHE that various civic education programs by the commission, coupled with lobbying from the political class and other interested parties, often contribute to the high voter turnout in Rwanda.
Munyaneza intimated that after the conclusion of the 2017 and 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections, the commission engaged in a continuous voter registration exercise that resulted in the registration of 1.8 million new voters for this year's election.
A majority of these voters were registered during an intense national voter registration drive conducted between March and June of this year.
A majority of the new voters were young people. Munyaneza noted that various social media campaigns rolled out by NEC helped the commission appeal to the youth and encouraged them to exercise their democratic right.
The campaign involved the use of catchy short messages, graphics and videos detailing the registration process, the process of voting, and why it is important to vote.
"We have been crafting and sending out messages through various social media platforms, and they have proven to be very effective," Munyaneza explained.
The commission also implemented technology that simplified self-confirmation of voter registration and the process of changing polling stations.
To make voting easier and more convenient, NEC established over 16,000 polling stations across the country, an increase of about 500 from those set up in 2017. This ensured that polling stations were easily accessible to eligible voters, whether in towns, markets or villages.
'We ensured that each polling station had no more than 900 people assigned to it to avoid long queues,' he added.
The government has also played a role in engaging citizens with the electoral process. Local government officials use weekly public forums, such as 'Inteko y'abaturage,' to discuss issues affecting the community. These forums provide platforms for both mobilization and civic education on the electoral process.
Mnyaneza also observed that lobbying by the political class during the campaigns contributed to the voter turnout.
President Paul Kagame, who was re-elected in the recent election, had urged the youth to become actively involved in politics ahead of the polls.
He advised young people who shy away from politics to reconsider their stance, as all decisions made by countries, whether good or bad, are the result of political processes.
'There is no where you are going to run away from politics, this is a fact. You, especially the young people should join us and we combine efforts to strengthen the good politics,' he said.
Kagame, who ran for the presidency on RPF Inkotanyi party ticket, is credited with transforming Rwanda through significant economic and social reforms.
Under his leadership, Rwanda has experienced growth and development in areas such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure, which were severely hurt by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Kagame has also been lauded for his firm anti-corruption stance in his administration, which has promoted accountability among government officials. This approach has also fostered public confidence in both public institutions and the electoral system.
He won this year's presidential election with 99.18% of the votes cast, securing 8,822,794 votes. Dr. Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda came in second with 44,479 votes (0.50%), while Philippe Mpayimana finished third with 28,466 votes (0.32%).
In the parliamentary election, Kagame's RPF Inkotanyi and its coalition partners remained dominant in the House of Deputies after securing 68.83% of the votes. The parties, including PD, PPC, PSR, PSP, and UDPR, will share 37 seats in parliament with the RPF.
Other parties that will be represented in the House are PL (5 seats), PSD (5), DGPR-Green Party (2), PDI (2) and PS Imberakuri (2).
Wycliffe Nyamasege
