Early vote returns show Rwanda’s president with strong lead

KIGALI, Rwanda — Preliminary results show Rwanda’s longtime president with a strong lead in Friday’s presidential election, getting more than 95 percent support in many rural districts.

Provisional results will be announced Saturday afternoon, the electoral commission said late Friday.

Kagame was running against Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda — the only permitted opposition party — and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana.

The electoral commission vetted candidates’ campaign messages, warning that their social media accounts could be blocked otherwise.

More than 80 percent of Rwanda’s 6.9 million registered voters cast their ballots, according to Charles Munyaneza, executive secretary of the Rwanda Electoral Commission.

While he remains popular for presiding over economic growth, critics accuse Kagame of being intolerant to criticism and of using state powers to remove perceived opponents.