For the next five years, President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame will once again lead his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) as Chairman after an overwhelming victory at the party’s congress on Sunday.

President Kagame swept to victory with 2,999 votes, that is 99.8% of the total ballots cast. He was challenged by Abdulkarim Harelimana who only managed 3 votes.

The ruling RPF, was created by a group of Rwandese in exile in the midst of the genocidal conflict that left an estimated 800,000 people slaughtered in 1994.

The party has been marking its 35th anniversary with a conference where an internationally assembled expert panel discussed policy with a focus on transforming both Rwanda and Africa.

The international policy conference was the first order of business which was climaxed by the party’s congress on Sunday, 2nd April, 2023.

In his acceptance speech, President Kagame said “we cannot do things like everybody else. The challenges they face & those we confront are different. We need to do things in a unique way so that even those who want to accuse us of all evils can hardly find any wrongs about us."

Before his election, he had addressed the auditorium at the Intare Conference Arena and detailed the three principles he had to enforce to put Rwanda on a path to success.

The ambition to think big, togetherness and accountability were the central guiding principles.

He told party supporters later that “I feel there is something that is still missing and we must work to get a solution for. We have to fulfill the task of us finding someone who can do what you elect me to do. You should know that every time I am brought back to serve, that burden even increases”.

The RPF National Executive Committee (NEC) is made up of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary General, and 25 Commissioners. All the positions were up for elections.
The party’s constitution specifies that a minimum of 30% of the NEC must be women, and there are also special positions reserved for young commissioners.