The Ideal Democratic Party (PDI) launched its campaign trail on Wednesday, June 26 in Rwamagana, reiterating its endorsement for Paul Kagame, the presidential candidate of RPF-Inkotanyi, and mobilising voters for its 55 parliamentary candidates.
PDI has endorsed Paul Kagame's candidacy for the presidency since 2003. It is one of five parties that have backed Kagame as the RPF candidate. The other parties are UDPR, PPC, PSD, PL, PSP.
PDI leader Mussa Fazil Harerimana said the party decided to endorse Kagame due to his track record.
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Harerimana said Kagame "is a once-in-a-generation leader" who has stabilised Rwanda by leading the campaign to stop the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and building national unity and development.
"He is the Father of the Nation. He has built the country as we know it today and we should let him build it further," Harerimana said.
Harerimana said that Kagame united Rwandans and now the sense of a shared identity is estimated at 94 per cent, thanks to non-discriminatory policies.
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"Our unity is the foundation that was built by the Father of the Nation. We cannot allow anyone to destroy that unity. Today, we are all Rwandans.
"As Rwandans, we have asked him to continue to lead us and he accepted our request," Harerimana said, adding that Rwamagana voters should vote for Kagame on July 15.
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In the July elections, incumbent president Kagame will face Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and Philippe Mpayimana who is an independent.
The three candidates are meeting at the polls for the second time since 2017, when Kagame won by a landslide with more than 98 per cent of the votes.
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PDI has historically been part of the coalition of the RPF, and shared the same list of parliamentary candidates over the years.
This year, however, the party announced it would field parliamentary candidates.
He called on the Rwamagana residents to vote for PDI’s candidates for parliament for them to be able to oversee the government’s activities in the next five-years.
"We need your votes for us to get to the Parliament, so that we can oversee the government activities,” Harerimana said.
Voting is slated for July 14-15.