Lincoln Towindo in KIGALI, Rwanda
PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA will today join other world leaders to witness the inauguration of Rwanda’s President-elect Paul Kagame, who won the Central African country’s presidential elections held last month.
The President arrived here yesterday evening and was welcomed at Kigali International Airport by Rwanda Development Board chief executive officer Mr Francis Gatare and Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Rwanda Professor Charity Manyeruke.
He later held bilateral talks with his counterpart ahead of today’s historic inauguration ceremony.
The President, who is accompanied by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava, Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (Presidential Communications) Mr George Charamba and other Government officials, will join more than a dozen other Heads of State and their representatives here to witness the ceremony at Amahoro National Stadium.
President-elect Kagame, of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, won the July 15 polls by a landslide, capturing 99,18 percent of the vote.
His two competitors, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda got 0,5 percent, while independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana received 0,32 percent of the votes.
According to Rwanda’s National Electoral Commission, voter turnout stood at 98 percent.
More than 45 000 people are expected to converge on Amahoro National Stadium to witness President-elect Kagame take his oath of office, marking the commencement of his fourth term in office.
After taking oath, the President-elect will serve a five-year term, following the revision of the Rwandan constitution in 2017 that reduced the presidential term from seven to five years.
Following the declaration of the Rwandan election results, President Mnangagwa sent out congratulations to his counterpart.
Speaking during the 378th ZANU PF Politburo meeting last month, President Mnangagwa also sent his felicitations.
“Allow me on behalf of our revolutionary party, ZANU PF, the Government and the people of Zimbabwe, and indeed on my own behalf, to extend our congratulations to His Excellency, President Paul Kagame and the ruling party, Rwanda Patriotic Front, for their resounding victory in their country’s recent elections,” he said.
“This is yet another testament of the ability of the people of Africa to independently chart our own destiny.
“It further shows our commitment to constitutionalism, democracy and the rule of law.”
Relations between Harare and Kigali have been on an upward trajectory following the advent of the Second Republic, with Rwanda having officially opened its embassy in Zimbabwe in July 2022.
Zimbabwe followed suit in September of the same year.
President Kagame visited Zimbabwe in April last year, where he participated at the Transform Africa Summit in Victoria Falls.
The visit was preceded by President Mnangagwa’s visit to Rwanda in September 2022, where he participated in the African Green Revolution Forum at the invitation of his counterpart.
Details of the two leaders’ meeting yesterday were not made available to the press.
Source: Sunday mail Zimbabwe
