As Rwandans go to the polls for presidential and legislative elections, some 9.7 million people are voting in an atmosphere of peace and stability. It is a long way from the devastation the East African country faced after the 1994 genocide against its Tutsi population when President Paul Kagame first became de facto leader.
Thirty years on, Kagame faces no serious challenge to his rule and is expected to be re-elected for a fourth term. Critics accuse the president of repressing the opposition domestically. However, Kagame is also loved by many Rwandans, young and old alike. Many praise the longtime leader for reuniting the country after the genocide and setting it on a path of economic growth.
