Zimbabwe, Japan leaders congratulate Kagame on election victory

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa sent his congratulations to President-elect Paul Kagame on Wednesday, July 24, upon his re-election as Rwandan President. The final results of the July 14-16 election, released by the National Electoral Commission on Monday, confirmed Kagame's 99 percent victory. During the 378th Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) Politburo meeting on Wednesday, July 24, President Mnangagwa extended his well-wishes to Kagame and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Allow me, on behalf of our revolutionary Party, ZANU PF, the Government and the people of Zimbabwe, and indeed on my behalf, to extend our congratulations to His Excellency, President Paul Kagame, and the ruling Party, Rwanda Patriotic Front, for their resounding victory in their country’s recent elections, he said. This is yet another testament to the ability of the people of Africa to independently chart our own destiny. It further shows our commitment to constitutionalism, democracy, and the rule of law. In a statement released by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japanese Press Secretary Kitamura Toshihiro also said, Following the announcement of the final results of the presidential election on July 22, Japan congratulates incumbent President Paul Kagame on his re-election in the presidential election, which was held for the first time since August 2017. ALSO READ: Presidents of China, Togo, AU chief congratulate Kagame on election win He expressed Japan's respect for Rwanda's efforts in national reconciliation, reconstruction, and development since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, highlighting Rwanda's importance for peace and stability in the Great Lakes region and Africa as a whole. “Japan hopes that efforts toward peace and stability in the region and Africa as a whole will be further promoted under the strong leadership of President Kagame.” Kitamura also mentioned Japan's intent to strengthen bilateral relations through cooperation in various areas, including water, sanitation, infrastructure development, and agriculture, especially with the upcoming Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) Ministerial Meeting in August and TICAD 9 next year. ALSO READ: What follows the announcement of presidential election results? The two leaders join others who have sent congratulatory messages to Kagame. They include the leaders of Barbados, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia, and Madagascar. Leaders from Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Oman, Qatar, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Venezuela, and Zambia also extended their congratulations. More than 8.9 million Rwandans cast their votes, representing a 98 percent turnout in presidential and parliamentary elections, which observers described as “peaceful and calm.”

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Zimbabwe, Japan leaders congratulate Kagame on election victory