- Title: Rwandan polls close in election tipped to hand Kagame third term
- Date: 4th August 2017
- Summary: KIGALI, RWANDA (AUGUST 4, 2017) (REUTERS) QUEUE OF VOTERS VARIOUS OF INK BEING PUT ON FINGERS AFTER VOTING PEOPLE CASTING BALLOTS (SOUNDBITE) (French) PIERRE-CLAVIER MUNYONYI, NATIONAL ELECTION BOARD OFFICIAL SAYING: "So far, since the start, there have been no problems, the elections went very well, people came in large numbers, there are no problems". VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUING TO VOTE (SOUNDBITE) (Kinyarwanda) UNIDENTIFIED OFFICIAL ANNOUNCING CLOSING OF POLLING STATION SAYING: "We will now close the voting station. It is 1500 now and you are able to vote since 7 in the morning. People who entered the compound before 1500 can still vote. Others can't". COUNTING BEGINS: BALLOTS THROWN IN A BOX, CANDIDATES' NAMES ARE SHOUTED OUT OFFICIAL TICKING VOTES ON BOARD OFFICIAL PICKING UP BALLOTS FROM THE FLOOR AND HANDING THEM OVER SAYING 'Kagame Paul' ELECTION OFFICIALS ROUND A TABLE COUNTING POLLING STATION
- Embargoed: 18th August 2017 17:04
- Keywords: Presidential elections Polling stations Counting Rwandan election Paul Kagame Frank Habineza
- Location: KIGALI, RWANDA
- City: KIGALI, RWANDA
- Country: Rwanda
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0016SQSI13
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Rwanda began counting votes on Friday (August 4) in presidential polls widely expected to hand incumbent Paul Kagame a third term in office, extending his 17 years in power.
Around 6.9 million of the 11 million population cast their ballots in the tiny East African country, Rwanda's electoral board said, in elections that fielded only a single opposition candidate and one independent contestant.
Kagame divides opinion, with some believing he has presided over a peaceful and rapid economic recovery since the 1994 genocide, while civil rights groups claim widespread abuses under his tenureship.
His main opposition in this election, Frank Habineza, has claimed that his supporters have been blocked from campaigning, and some attacked with stones.
The Electoral board said they expected the final turnout to top 90 percent once full details emerged. Polls closed at 3pm (1400gmt) and provisional results are to be announced around 10 pm (2100 GMT). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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