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Rwandan President Paul Kagame has announced his intention to seek for a fourth term in next year’s elections.
Kagame, a former rebel chief, became president in April 2000 but has been recognized as the country’s de facto leader since the 1994 genocide’s end.
In elections in 2003, 2010, and 2017, he received more than 90 percent of the vote.
“Yes, I am indeed a candidate,” Kagame, who has ruled over the country with an iron fist for decades, told Jeune Afrique, a French-language news magazine, in an interview published online on Tuesday, September 19.
“I am pleased with the confidence that Rwandans have placed in me. I will always serve them, as long as I can,” the 65-year-old was quoted as saying.
The Rwandan government synchronized the dates for its parliamentary and presidential elections in March, which are scheduled for August of next year.
In 2015, Kagame presided over contentious constitutional reforms that allowed him to run for further terms and remain in power until 2034.
When asked if he would run for re-election in 2022, Kagame replied he would “consider running for another 20 years.”
“Elections are about people choosing,” he told the France 24 news channel in an interview.
