35 year old female joins race for Rwandan presidency

35-year-old Diane Shima Rwigara has declared her interest to run for the presidency ahead of Rwanda’s election later in the year.

Rwigara expects to run for office as an independent candidate. She revealed her manifesto which entails eradicating poverty on Wednesday.

“I will be tackling poverty, I will be tackling injustice, I will be tackling insecurity. In the last 23 years RPF has been in power, they have not been able, not only to eradicate poverty but even to give Rwandans the minimum, most Rwandans are dying of hunger, they have nowhere to live,” said Rwigara.

The National Electoral Commission will receive nominations from candidates from June 12 to 23. A provisional list of qualified candidates will be announced on June 27.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is widely expected to stand for a third term in the polls – he was elected in 2010 with 93 per cent of the vote.

Last month, the head of Rwanda’s opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, Frank Habineza, was selected as his party’s candidate. The party is the only registered opposition party to Kagame’s government.

Rwandans approved changes to the country’s constitution in a 2015 referendum that effectively enables Kagame to stay in power until 2034.