Date 2017 | Location Rwanda | |
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Presidential elections will be held in Rwanda on 4 August 2017.
Contents
Background
A referendum in 2015 approved constitutional amendments that allow incumbent President Paul Kagame to run for a third term in office in 2017, as well as shortening presidential terms from seven to five years, although the latter change would not come into effect until 2024.
Electoral system
The President of Rwanda is elected in one round of voting by plurality.
Candidates
Kagame announced that he would run for a third term in a televised address to mark the start of 2016, saying "You requested me to lead the country again after 2017. Given the importance and consideration you attach to this, I can only accept. But I don't think that what we need is an eternal leader."
In February 2017 Phillipe Mpayimana announced his candidacy as an independent candidate. A former journalist and author, he has lived outside Rwanda since 1994 and worked with humanitarian organisations.