Presidential Rwanda: Kagame major favorite

Rwandans began voting Monday for a presidential election without surprise that the outgoing Head of State Paul Kagame, in power since the 1994 genocide and without much opposition, is assured of victory.

"Everything seems to have started on time and running smoothly throughout the country," he told AFP secretary general of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Charles Munyaneza.

"We open the polling place at 6:00 precise" (0400 GMT), an election agent testified in a primary school in the district of Cachoeira, in Kigali. At the exact time, his colleague brought the ballot boxes and ballots, and voters lined up outside the office have started to vote.

In a school district near Kimihurura, voters arrived at 5:00 am. "It's important to come and choose our president," said Emmanuel Ndagijimana, a young housekeeper.

In the provinces too, the vote seems to have started on time and without notoriously difficult. In some offices of the Western Province, the vote was even finished at 7:00, all registered voters having already cast.

No incidents were reported during the night and the opening of business, told AFP spokesman for the police, Eric Kayiranga.

Some 5.2 million voters have until 3:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) to decide to come in 15,507 polling stations across the country. Rwandans from abroad voted Sunday in their embassies, according to the NEC, and Monday was declared a national holiday.

Some observers attending the 1400 ballot, including 214 international including on behalf of the African Union (AU) or the Commonwealth. The European Union (EU), citing budgetary reasons, did not send observers.

Without rival or opposition, President Kagame, 52, was given grand favorite.

He presides over this small central African country since he put an end to the genocide of Tutsis in July 1994 and seeking a new term of seven years after his election triumph in 2003 with 95% of the vote.

For the second presidential since the killings, the president of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the former Tutsi rebels who control all levels of political life, faces three nominees who had supported him in 2003.

Three parties emerged recently, including two that are not recognized by the authorities, are de facto excluded from voting. They denounced the "sham elections" and called the substance of the three rivals of Mr. Kagame's puppet candidate.

These have in turn claimed their independence and justified the similarity of their programs with the RPF on behalf of a peaceful democracy.

The campaign, which lasted from July 20 to August 7, took place "without incident", according to the electoral commission.

During the many meetings held in all provinces, the candidate Kagame, in the colors red, white and blue RPF has mobilized hundreds of thousands of supporters, highlighting the undeniable progress in Rwanda for 16 years, and promising "continue the struggle for development, peace and unity" of the country.

As usual, the former warlord was contemptuously swept the critics of "foreigners" on its record on freedom of expression and opinion.

Clear signs of strain have emerged however in the months preceding the election, with a wave of grenade attacks in February-May in Kigali, divisions within the elite Anglophone Tutsi RPF and that "repression increasing political (opposition) and a throttling freedom of expression, "according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).