Kagame flays Western allies, expresses readiness to run for fourth term in office

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has disclosed his plan to run for a fourth term in the 2024 presidential election.

“Yes, I am indeed a candidate,” Mr Kagame told French-language magazine Jeune Afrique on Tuesday.

Reacting to what his allies in the West would think about his decision to contest again, Mr Kagame said, “I’m sorry for the West, but what the West thinks is not my problem”.

“I am happy with the confidence that the Rwandans have in me. I will always serve them, as much when I can.”

“Seeking to transplant democracy to someone else is already a violation of democracy in itself. People are supposed to be independent and should be allowed to organize themselves as they wish,” President Kagame said.

Kagame was overwhelmingly re-elected the chairman of the ruling party, Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) at the party’s 16th congress earlier in the year.

The Rwandan leader got 2, 999 votes, accounting for 99.8% of the total votes while his closest contender Abdulkarim Harelimana got 3 votes or 0.2% according to a Rwandan national daily.

He has led the RPF-Inkotanyi since 1998.

A contentious referendum in Rwanda in 2015 eliminated a two-term constitutional restriction for presidents. Mr. Kagame, who has been in power since 2000, was able to run for and win a third term.