Rwanda kicks off election campaigns, Kagame on the offensive

Rwandan election campaigns kicked off on Friday with the three presidential candidates rallying in different parts of the country.

Incumbent President Paul Kagame addressed hundreds of Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) supporters in the Southern Province where he extended a hand to his contenders to join the ruling party.

He thanked the two major political parties – Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Liberal Party (PL) – that rallied behind him while condemning critics of the democracy in Rwanda.

“Critics are meaningless when you are on the right path. Our role is to continue working to transform our nation. You can choose not to hear the truth but you cannot deny what your eyes show you here today,” he said.

The other two contenders – the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda’s Frank Habineza and independent presidential candidate Philippe Mpayimana – held low-key rallies in the Southwestern and Eastern regions respectively.

Elections will be held on August 3 in the diaspora and August 4 in Rwanda.