Kagame Re-elected with 99.18% Vote in Rwanda

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has been re-elected with 99.18% of the vote, the National Electoral Commission said.

That result - off a reported turnout of 98% - gives him a fourth term and extends his near quarter of a century rule.

And it's not exactly a surprising result.

Kagame won more than 93% of the vote, according to the commission, in the previous three elections.

He helped lead the rebel movement that ended Rwanda's 1994 genocide and has since been praised for rebuilding the country of 14 million people after that most horrific of chapters.

The U.S. State Department and others have lauded the development of the economy.

But Kagame's government has also been accused by Western nations and rights activists of muzzling the media, assassinating opponents, and backing rebel groups in neighboring Congo.

The government has denied all accusations against it.

Eight candidates, including some of Kagame's most vocal critics, were barred from the election with the commission citing reasons including missing and incomplete paperwork.

During campaigning the president promised continued development and stability.

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has smashed his own record by winning elections with more than 98% of the vote, full provisional results show.

The 66-year-old won the 2017 election with 98.63% of the vote, higher than the 93% he got in 2010 and the 95% in 2003.

His critics say Kagame's thundering majorities come as no surprise as he rules with an iron hand.

However, his supporters say they point to his huge popularity, with Rwanda having achieved stability and economic growth under his rule.

The electoral commission barred at least three presidential aspirants, including the president's most vocal critics, from contesting.

Kagame is a former rebel commander whose forces swept to power in 1994, ending a genocide that claimed the lives of around 800,000 people in 100 days.