Election Day in Rwanda

Three weeks ago the presidential election campaigns began. I'm not going to go into much detail about the various candidates (not such a wise idea while I am a guest in the country). I will say that out of the 4 running for President (with others denied the opportunity to run) one is a clear "favorite". Kagame has more or less controlled the country since the RPF took over the country and stopped the genocide in 1994. In 2003 elections were held and Kagame officially became the President (7 year terms). For the past 3 weeks the streets have been lined with Kagame's face on all of the billboards, as trucks, motos, and cars proudly fly the RPF flag. Security has been stepped up and armed soldiers wander the streets.

On the day of the election everyone was given the day off to vote. Esron was out the door at 6 am to line-up, vote and die his pinky nail, to signify that he has voted. He returned to the house just after 9:30 am and began doing various chores around the house. My favorite of which was a washing of the rooftop. Turns out it's not burnt sienna but rather a dull corrugated aluminum color. I guess all this cleaning is a sign that the elections are running smoothly.

The day before the election rumors were floating that the Tuesday would be another official holiday to celebrate Kagame's re-election. This is in spite of the fact that the official count is not scheduled to be ready until Tuesday night. Funny that, but as I type this I am at home not at the office on Tuesday afternoon. I guess the RPF camp is pretty confidant.

As it stands I have not heard any violence nor incidences related to the voting, but I have made the decision to stay close to home and lay low. As far at the "free and fair" elections... I won't post my thoughts, but I will add that those I have spoken to have for the very most part been happy with Kagame and planned on voting for him again. Some even hope that he will change the constitution so that he may run for a 3 term in 7 years time.

Here is a link for a summary of the Rwandan election, including a video:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/08/20108943239684905.html

For those of you who are interested, here is a great and detailed summary of Paul Kagame's history:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/rwanda/7900680/Paul-Kagame-Rwandas-redeemer-or-ruthless-dictator.html