President of the Republic of Rwanda
Presidential Standard
Paul Kagame in 2014
Incumbent
Paul Kagame
since 22 April 2000
Acting: 24 March – 22 April 2000
StyleMr President
(informal)
His Excellency
(diplomatic)
TypeHead of state
Executive president
ResidenceVillage Urugwiro
SeatKigali
AppointerPopular vote
Term length5 years
Formation28 January 1961; 63 years ago (1961-01-28)
First holderDominique Mbonyumutwa
SalaryUS$85,000 annually[1]
Websitehttps://www.gov.rw/president
Politics of Rwanda
Constitution
Government
Parliament
Judiciary
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations
United Nations in Rwanda

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

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 4 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)
Other factions
  Military
Status
  Acting President
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Elected Term of office Ethnic group Political party Prime minister(s)
Took office Left office Time in office
Republic of Rwanda (part of Ruanda-Urundi)
– Dominique Mbonyumutwa
(1921–1986) 		— 28 January 1961 26 October 1961 271 days Hutu Parmehutu Kayibanda
1 Grégoire Kayibanda
(1924–1976) 		1961 26 October 1961 1 July 1962 248 days Hutu Parmehutu Himself
Republic of Rwanda (independent country)
(1) Grégoire Kayibanda
(1924–1976) 		1965
1969 		1 July 1962 5 July 1973
(deposed.) 		11 years, 4 days Hutu Parmehutu Position abolished
2 Juvénal Habyarimana
(1937–1994)
[a] 		1978
1983
1988 		5 July 1973 6 April 1994
(assassinated.) 		20 years, 275 days Hutu Military /
MRND 		Nsanzimana
Nsengiyaremye
Uwilingiyimana
– Théodore Sindikubwabo
(1928–1998) 		— 8 April 1994 19 July 1994
(ousted.)
[b] 		102 days Hutu MRND Kambanda
3 Pasteur Bizimungu
(born 1950) 		— 19 July 1994 23 March 2000
(resigned.) 		5 years, 248 days Hutu RPF Twagiramungu
Rwigema
Makuza
4 Paul Kagame
(born 1957) 		2000
2003
2010
2017 		24 March 2000 22 April 2000 29 days Tutsi RPF Makuza
Habumuremyi
Murekezi
Ngirente
22 April 2000 Incumbent 23 years, 350 days

Timeline

Paul KagamePasteur BizimunguThéodore SindikubwaboJuvénal HabyarimanaGrégoire KayibandaDominique Mbonyumutwa

Latest election

Main article: 2017 Rwandan presidential election
CandidatePartyVotes%
Paul KagameRwandan Patriotic Front6,675,47298.79
Philippe MpayimanaIndependent49,0310.73
Frank HabinezaDemocratic Green Party of Rwanda32,7010.48
Total6,757,204100.00
Valid votes6,757,20499.82
Invalid/blank votes12,3100.18
Total votes6,769,514100.00
Registered voters/turnout6,897,07698.15
Source: NEC Rwanda

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.

External links

Presidents of Rwanda
Rwanda articles
Heads of state and government of Africa
Categories