| President of the Republic of Rwanda | |
|---|---|
 Presidential Standard | |
| Style | Mr President (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Type | Head of state Executive president |
| Residence | Village Urugwiro |
| Seat | Kigali |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | 5 years |
| Formation | 28 January 1961 |
| First holder | Dominique Mbonyumutwa |
| Salary | US$85,000 annually[1] |
 |
|---|
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
- Other factions
- Status
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Elected | Term of office | 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 | Parmehutu | Kayibanda | |
| 1 | .jpg.webp) |
Grégoire Kayibanda (1924–1976) |
1961 | 26 October 1961 | 1 July 1962 | 248 days | 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 | Parmehutu | Position abolished | |
| 2 | .jpg.webp) |
Juvénal Habyarimana (1937–1994) [lower-alpha 1] |
1978 1983 1988 |
5 July 1973 | 6 April 1994 (assassinated.) |
20 years, 275 days | Military / MRND |
Nsanzimana Nsengiyaremye Uwilingiyimana | |
| – | |
Théodore Sindikubwabo (1928–1998) |
— | 8 April 1994 | 19 July 1994 (ousted.) [lower-alpha 2] |
102 days | MRND | Kambanda | |
| 3 | .jpg.webp) |
Pasteur Bizimungu (born 1950) |
— | 19 July 1994 | 23 March 2000 (resigned.) |
5 years, 248 days | RPF | Twagiramungu Rwigema Makuza | |
| 4 |  |
Paul Kagame (born 1957) |
2000 2003 2010 2017 |
24 March 2000 | 22 April 2000 | 29 days | RPF | Makuza Habumuremyi Murekezi Ngirente | |
| 22 April 2000 | Incumbent | 23 years, 267 days | |||||||
Timeline
Latest election
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Kagame | Rwandan Patriotic Front | 6,675,472 | 98.79 | |
| Philippe Mpayimana | Independent | 49,031 | 0.73 | |
| Frank Habineza | Democratic Green Party of Rwanda | 32,701 | 0.48 | |
| Total | 6,757,204 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 6,757,204 | 99.82 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 12,310 | 0.18 | ||
| Total votes | 6,769,514 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,897,076 | 98.15 | ||
| Source: NEC Rwanda | ||||
See also
Notes
- ↑ Styled as Chairman of the Committee for Peace and National Unity until 1 August 1973.
- ↑ Fled to Zaire at the end of the Rwandan Civil War and the Rwandan genocide.
References
- ↑ "Top 15 Highest Paid African Presidents 2017". 15 December 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ↑ CJCR 2003, article 117.
- ↑ CJCR 2003, articles 100–101.
- ↑ CJCR 2003, article 116.
- ↑ Cook, Candace; Siegle, Joseph. "Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa". Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
- Commission Juridique Et Constitutionnelle Du Rwanda (CJCR) (26 May 2003). "Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda". Archived from the original on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2015.