Rwandans vote to allow Kagame to run for another term

KIGALI, Rwanda

More than 98 percent of Rwandan voters voted "yes" to the adoption of the new constitution, allowing incumbent President Paul Kagame to remain in power until 2034, according to partial results provided by the country’s election board.

The National Electoral Commission announced Saturday the partial results of the referendum which was held Friday, encompassing 21 out of 30 districts, which represents more than 70 percent of voters.

Mbanda Kalisa, president of the National Electoral Commission, stressed that this result showed "the will of the people" on Saturday at a press conference, adding against 1.71 percent had voted "no".

Nearly 6.5 million Rwandans went to the polls to decide if Paul Kagame, who has been in power for 15 years, would be allowed to run for another seven-year term in 2017.

The new constitution stipulates that the presidential mandate will be reduced from seven to five years and would be renewable only once.

However, controversy surrounds the start date of a presidential term.

Kagame has been in power since 2000 and is expected to serve his current term of seven years.

However, if the new constitution is approved Kagame will be entitled to a “transitional term” of another seven years, putting him at the helm until 2024.

After 2024, if he wishes, Kagame could again seek another term, but this time not for seven but for five years, putting him hypothetically in power until 2029.

If he desires to stay in power beyond 2029, then according to the new constitution, Kagame would have such an option only once, and then - theoretically - his term would finally come to an end in 2034.

Kagame, 58, is a former rebel leader, who served as vice president and defense minister between 1994 and 2000. He became president in 2000 after President Pasteur Bizimungu resigned.

The proposed change has been supported by the majority of the country’s political parties plus the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front. Only the Green Democratic Party - a small opposition group - called for a 'no' vote.

Elected in 2003 and reelected in 2010, with over 90 percent of the vote each time, Paul Kagame has not yet announced his intention to run in 2017. He said that this will depend on the results of the referendum.

The Rwandan parliament claimsed it has received over 4 million petitions between June and August requesting that Kagame stay in power.

Some of Rwanda’s allies, including the European Union and the United States, have criticized the proposed reform.

The European Union has said that "this is a reform that serves the interests of one person".