List of presidents of Rwanda
This article lists the presidents of Rwanda since the creation of the office in 1961 (during the Rwandan Revolution), to the present day.
| 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] |
| Website | https://www.gov.rw/president |
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 | 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) [lower-alpha 1] |
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.) [lower-alpha 2] |
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 | 24 years, 69 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.