Rwanda to Hold First Post-genocide Presidential Election on Aug. 25

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, August 25, 2003

Rwanda to Hold First Post-genocide Presidential Election on Aug. 25

Rwandans go to the polls on Aug. 25 in their first presidential election since the genocide in 1994, when about one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed by Hutu extremists.

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Rwandans go to the polls on Aug. 25 in their first presidential election since the genocide in 1994, when about one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed by Hutu extremists.

Four candidates were contesting for the presidency, who are incumbent President Paul Kagame, former prime minister Faustin Twagiramungu, former MP J. Nepomusce Nayinzira and the first female candidate Alvera Mukabaramba from the new left-wing Party of Progress and Concord.

Political observers used to predict a two horse race between Twagirmungu, who returned to Rwanda in June from exile in Belgium to contest the polls, and Kagame, who has dominated Rwandan politics since his Rwandan Patriotic Front seized Kigali in 1994.

However, the first multi-party election in Rwandan history is now widely seen as a one-man show of Kagame since his most high-profile challenger Twagiramungu declared Thursday he would stop proceeding with his campaign.

The election marks an end to the nine-year transition led by Kagame's government of national unity, which was installed after the genocide.

Statistics released by the Rwandan National Electoral Commission show that 3,948,749 Rwandans, including 12,060 living abroad, have registered to vote.

More than 1,800 election observers, including 226 from the international community, will monitor the polls.

Rwandan voters will go to the polls again on Sept. 29 to selecta new parliament.

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