Hey, Rwanda's getting ready for a big day on Monday! President Kagame's trying to stick around for five more years, and everyone's talking about it.
All About Kagame's Time in Charge
So, this guy Kagame has basically been running the show since the '94 genocide mess. He's been the President since 2000, which is like forever in politician-years. But here's the thing, he's not got a lot of people to worry about in this race, just two other folks trying to challenge him.
The Players in the 2024 Election Game
We've got Frank Habineza from the Democratic Green Party and some dude named Philippe Mpayimana going solo. This is kind of like what happened in 2017 when Kagame won with, like, almost all the votes.
The Not-So-Great Stuff People Say About Kagame
Okay, so Kagame's done some pretty cool stuff for Rwanda after that terrible time, but he's also got a bit of a bad rep. Human rights groups and others say he's a bit too bossy, doesn't like people to disagree with him, and keeps too tight a grip on the media.
What's Happening on Election Day
A whopping nine million Rwandans are signed up to vote, and it's a big deal because it's the first time they're doing presidential and parliament stuff at the same time. You can cast your vote from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, GMT-style, and we should know who wins shortly after that.
How the Campaigns Are Going and What People Think
Kagame's got his fan club all over the place with his party's symbols and catchy phrases. Even though the country's got some money woes, he's still pretty popular for making Rwanda a better place.
What the World and the Neighbors Are Saying
Everyone's watching this election, especially the international community. They're interested in how fair it'll be and if everyone's playing nice, especially with all the hoops the opposition had to jump through to join the race.