Kagame signals he will stand for third term re-eletion bid

Kigali. Rwandan President Paul Kagame has signalled that he will stand for re-election for a third term. Mr Kagame in a state of the nation address said Rwandans want “politics of delivering” and “you cannot put term limits on progress.”

Mr Kagame said the decision of Rwandans expressed in the referendum on Friday, to revise the Constitution and suspend term limits to allow him stand again, cannot be ignored.

“Participation in the recent referendum was massive. Most voted “Yes”. Tens of thousands voted “No”. Our democracy is stronger because we have continued to define ourselves, and refused to be distracted. Frankly, what was at issue has been resolved,” Mr Kagame said in a speech which also simultaneously opened the National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano).

“Our purpose here is simple: Make sure our actions are guided by what Rwandans have expressed. These are serious matters, and Rwandans demand that we treat them as such,” the Rwandan leader stated.

98.3% Rwandans voted overwhelmingly in a referendum on Friday to endorse Constitutional amendments that key among them allow Mr Kagame to stand for another seven-year term after his two terms end in 2017. Subsequently, the term of president will be reduced to five years, renewable once, and Mr Kagame will still be eligible to stand if he so wishes.

“It is a privilege and a duty to serve Rwanda, not an entitlement. No individual is there forever, but there is no term limit on values, institutions, and progress. When the time comes to transfer responsibility from one public servant to another, Rwandans already have confidence that it will be done in the orderly and harmonious manner which we expect and indeed require,” he said.

“Rwandans have decided to establish a specific interval in which to fortify our gains, make them irreversible, and fully focus on the politics of prosperity. We are not afraid of the past, we are full of optimism for the future. Let us not miss our moment,” he added. (NMG)