Kagame Thanks All As Opposition Concedes Defeat
By George Kalisa
Incumbent President Paul Kagame has thanked Rwandans for demonstrating unwavering trust in him. Kagame is leading with 99.15 per cent. He said Rwandans have always given him the strength for all his endless achievements.
“If I put this in human perspective, this means something great, it means trust. Those figures are not just figures, there is much trust in them. There is nothing you can give to earn trust, rather, trust is something that is built over time.”
“By the way, have you ever seen me looking desperate? I never feel hopeless and helpless. In any situation, whatever hard it can be, I never feel down because I always trust that I can join hands with you to resolve any problem.”
He made the remarks today at Intare conference Arena, RPF-Inkotanyi Headquarters where he was flanked by top leaders and members of his party, and members of the eight political parties that rallied behind him in the coalition.
“I want to thank my family which is actually here, because they accompanied me everywhere and supported me a lot. In fact, they serve as walking cane for me,” said Kagame.
“On a particular note, I want to thank everyone who managed to be here representing so many people. You have been so close to us, especially in doing this job that we have just finished,” added Kagame.
Meanwhile, opposition politician and President of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) Dr. Frank Habineza together with independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana have conceded defeat.
Dr. Habineza got 0.53 of the vote while Mpayimana has 0.32 after 79 per cent count.
“Not much to say on the results. The most important is that we are able and ready to contribute to country development in any capacity,” Mpayimana told local media.
“Any time when Rwandans will feel that they want to change the leadership through democracy, let them not fear to think about me because I still love Rwanda despite defeat” said Mpayimana.
“Dear Rwandans, in the past moment we have received the preliminary results released by the NEC. We want to communicate that we have accepted them and congratulate the winner HE Paul Kagame,” Dr. Habineza told local media today.