Kigali, Rwanda - President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has said he did not want to stand for another but had to bow to the pressure and demands of the people of Rwanda.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Africa (WEF) in Kigali on Wednesday, Kagame said the people of Rwanda were not interested in letting him go once his two-year term came to an end.
“By the way, I did not ask for this thing (third term),” Kagame said while responding to a question from Mr. Tony Blair the former British Prime Minister who was chairing a panel discussion at WEF.
Credited for the transformation of Rwanda from the 1994 genocide, Kagame also said the people within his own party also did not want him to leave. He further added that he knew any decision to change the constitution could be a subject of international condemnation.
“I was actually trying to tell my people – You know what, there is room. Why don’t you find someone else,” Kagame said. Adding “They kept saying no; we are not ready to take the risk on someone else.”
This, he said put him in a situation where it was becoming a hard decision to make, describing it more like “it was like putting me in a cage.” Rwandans head to the polls next year where it is widely expected that Kagame will be re-elected for a seven-year term.
A referendum held in December 2015, about 6.5 million people – 98 percent of all votes cast - gave way to the amendment to the Constitution, allowing Kagame to stand for another term.
He said such a decision for him to leave power is in the hands of the people of Rwanda and not pressure from international community.
At the same panel discussion, Mr. Howard Buffet, an American businessman and Philanthropist said that “If we did not think President Kagame was going to be here for another seven years, we wouldn’t consider being here (Rwanda).”
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