Incumbent President Paul Kagame said that the landslide victory from the general elections held on July 14 and 15 is a demonstration of the trust Rwandans have in him, noting that it is built over time. ALSO READ: Kagame leads with 99% of initial election results The National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced partial results of the presidential elections held on Monday in which Kagame, the candidate of the RPF-Inkotanyi coalition collected 99.15 percent votes, against Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana who got 0.53 percent and 0.32 percent, respectively. The results announced on are from 79 per cent of the votes tallied from both within the country and voters from the diaspora. More than nine million Rwandans were expected to vote in the election and according to NEC, the voter turnout was at 98 per cent. In his acceptance speech while addressing RPF-Inkotanyi supporters who were gathered at the party’s headquarters, Intare Arena in Rusororo, and Rwandans at large, Kagame thanked them for their support shown during the campaign trail and the elections. He also thanked the allied political parties and his family that was with him throughout every campaign rally across the country, as well as artistes and the youth. “The action of campaign and the outcome of elections as it was just announced hold a special meaning to me, it means the trust that I appreciate you for. There is nothing you can give to someone so that you can instantly be trusted. Trust is built over time,” he said. ALSO READ: Kagame, First Lady join Rwandans to cast votes in elections Kagame noted that if one carefully analyzes the years he has been together with Rwandans and the work done which was sometimes difficult, he has never shuddered mainly because of the people’s trust. “I never tremble...in the most difficult situations we passed through or are going to pass through in the future... I always believe that we are going to work together to tackle any issue,” he said, adding that he also gets strength from the way Rwandans respond to the call of facing hard times. “The trust you give is beyond explanation. Those high numbers are not just numbers, even if it was 100 percent, it wouldn’t be just numbers, it is that trust that is the most important thing.” Kagame said that despite not being understood by many people who criticize it, the trust keeps on increasing. “It is RPF uniqueness. It is Rwandans’ uniqueness.” He thanked Rwandans and RPF at the forefront in ideas, works, political agenda. Furthermore, he urged young people to continue doing everything possible to do excellent things and ensure it becomes a lifestyle, adding that they should face problems knowing it is a collective responsibility. “We work together to face problems, fix those which can be fixed and for those which can’t be fixed in the moment, we build additional resources that will allow us to pass through them.” He concluded saying that he considers elections done and the remaining is the critical work ahead that should be done to benefit all Rwandans. Vote tallying continues, with NEC set to announce provisional results on July 20 and final results on July 27.
