Rwanda: General election campaign wraps up
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00:00Rwanda's leader Paul Kagame is wrapping up his presidential campaign before the
00:04nation heads to the polls next Monday. He's widely expected to sweep to a fourth
00:10term in office, a win that would extend his iron-fisted rule to three decades.
00:14The 66-year-old has been Rwanda's de facto ruler since the 1994 genocide and
00:20is credited with the country's economic recovery but is also criticized for
00:25stifling political opposition at home. France 24's correspondent Olivia Biso
00:29has more from Kigali. Just a few moments ago thousands of people were behind me
00:35for the final rally of Paul Kagame's campaign ahead of the elections on the
00:4015th of July. There was a very festive mood, there was music, dancing and
00:44celebrations. It felt more like a festival than a presidential campaign
00:48rally. That could be because there's little doubt over the outcome of these
00:52elections. Paul Kagame has been in power for the last 24 years. In 2017 he won
00:57almost 99% of the vote and observers say a similar result is expected this
01:03year. Kagame has been campaigning over the past three weeks in around 30 towns
01:08and villages across the country. He's mostly been talking about how well the
01:12economy has been doing since his party came to power. So why change now? Eight
01:17candidates had applied to run against Kagame but only two were approved by the
01:22Electoral Commission. Frank Habineta from the Democratic Green Party is often
01:27described as the only notable opposition candidate. He received less
01:31than 1% of the vote in 2017 and he's hoping to do better this year. Throughout
01:37his campaign he's highlighted issues of individual freedoms, food security and
01:41unemployment. Kagame has faced criticism for stifling political opponents and
01:46he's defended his position and his view of democracy.