Rwanda confirms August 2017 presidential election date
Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York on September 22, 2016. By Dominick Reuter (AFP/File)
Kigali (AFP) - Rwanda will stage presidential elections next August, according to a government statement issued Saturday.
Rwandans abroad will cast their votes on August 3, and those resident in Rwanda will follow suit on August 4, a communique in the local Kinyarwanda language said.
A constitutional amendment passed this year means that President Paul Kagame -- in charge since taking power at the head of a rebel army in 1994 -- is able to stand for re-election for another seven-year term.