List of presidents of Rwanda

Last updated

President of the Republic of Rwanda
Perezida wa Repubulika y’u Rwanda (Kinyarwanda)
Rais wa Jamhuri ya Rwanda (Swahili)
Président de la République du Rwanda (French)
Flag of the President of Rwanda.svg
Presidential Standard
Paul Kagame 2014.jpg
Incumbent
Paul Kagame
since 22 April 2000
Acting: 24 March – 22 April 2000
Style Mr President
(informal)
His Excellency
(diplomatic)
Type Head of state
Executive president
Residence Village Urugwiro
Seat Kigali
Appointer Popular vote
Term length Five years,
renewable
Constituting instrument Constitution of Rwanda (2003)
Formation28 January 1961;64 years ago (1961-01-28)
First holder Dominique Mbonyumutwa
SalaryUS$85,000 annually [1]
Website https://www.gov.rw/president

This article lists the presidents of Rwanda since the creation of the office in 1961 (during the Rwandan Revolution), to the present day.

Contents

The president of Rwanda is the head of state and head of executive [2] of the Republic of Rwanda. The president is elected every seven years by popular vote, [3] and appoints the prime minister and all other members of Cabinet. [4]

A total of four people have served in the office. The incumbent president is Paul Kagame, who took office on 22 April 2000, after being acting president for nearly a month.

Term limits

There was a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Rwanda. The constitutional referendum in 2015 allowed Paul Kagame third seven-year term, and ability to run for further two five-year terms thereafter. [5]

List of officeholders

Political parties
   Party of the Hutu Emancipation Movement (Parmehutu)
   National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND)
   Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)
Status
  Denotes acting president
List of presidents of Rwanda
No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)		ElectedTerm of office Ethnic group Political party Prime minister(s) Ref.
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
Republic of Rwanda (part of Ruanda-Urundi)
— No image.png Dominique Mbonyumutwa
(1921–1986)		—28 January 196126 October 1961271 days Hutu Parmehutu Kayibanda
1 Gregoire Kayibanda (cropped).jpg Grégoire Kayibanda
(1924–1976)		 1961 26 October 19611 July 1962248 daysHutu Parmehutu Himself
Republic of Rwanda (independent country)
(1) Gregoire Kayibanda (cropped).jpg Grégoire Kayibanda
(1924–1976)		 1965
1969 		1 July 19625 July 1973
(Deposed in coup)		11 years, 4 daysHutu Parmehutu Position abolished [6] [7]
2 Juvenal Habyarimana (1980).jpg Juvénal Habyarimana
(1937–1994)
[a] 		1978
1983
1988 		5 July 19736 April 1994
(Assassinated)		20 years, 275 daysHutu MRND /
Military 		Nsanzimana
Nsengiyaremye
Uwilingiyimana 		[8]
— No image.png Théodore Sindikubwabo
(1928–1998)		—8 April 199419 July 1994
(Ousted)
[b] 		102 daysHutu MRND Kambanda
3 Pasteur Bizimungu 1998 (cropped).jpg Pasteur Bizimungu
(born 1950)		—19 July 199423 March 2000
(Resigned)		5 years, 248 daysHutu RPF Twagiramungu
Rwigema
Makuza 		[9]
4 Paul Kagame 2014.jpg Paul Kagame
(born 1957)		—24 March 200022 April 200024 years, 321 days Tutsi RPF Makuza
Habumuremyi
Murekezi
Ngirente 		[10]
2003
2010
2017
2024 		22 April 2000Incumbent

Timeline

Paul KagamePasteur BizimunguThéodore SindikubwaboJuvénal HabyarimanaGrégoire KayibandaDominique MbonyumutwaList of presidents of Rwanda

Latest election

CandidatePartyVotes%
Paul Kagame Rwandan Patriotic Front 8,822,79499.18
Frank Habineza Democratic Green Party 44,4790.50
Philippe MpayimanaIndependent28,4660.32
Total8,895,739100.00
Valid votes8,895,73999.86
Invalid/blank votes12,1370.14
Total votes8,907,876100.00
Registered voters/turnout9,071,15798.20
Source: NEC

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Styled as Chairman of the Committee for Peace and National Unity until 1 August 1973.
  2. ↑ Fled to Zaire at the end of the Rwandan Civil War and the Rwandan genocide.

References

  1. ↑ "Top 15 Highest Paid African Presidents 2017". 15 December 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  2. ↑ CJCR 2003, article 117.
  3. ↑ CJCR 2003, articles 100–101.
  4. ↑ CJCR 2003, article 116.
  5. ↑ Cook, Candace; Siegle, Joseph. "Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa". Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
  6. ↑ "Military Coup in Rwanda Follows Tribal Dissension". The New York Times . Associated Press. 6 July 1973. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Mission d'information sur le Rwanda" (in French). Celui-ci s'était construit sur la destruction de la Première République. Entre 1974 et 1977, 56 personnes, pour la plupart d'anciens dirigeants de la Première République, avaient été assassinés par les services de la sécurité. Le premier Président rwandais, Grégoire Kayibanda, était mort en détention en 1976, probablement de faim.
  8. ↑ Ronald Sullivan (7 April 1994). "Juvenal Habyarimana, 57, Ruled Rwanda for 21 Years". The New York Times . Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "Rwanda President Resigns". The New York Times . 24 March 2000. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  10. ↑ Declan Walsh (6 April 2024). "From the Horror to the Envy of Africa: Rwanda's Leader Holds Tight Grip". The New York Times . Retrieved 12 July 2024.
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