{"id":175327,"date":"2015-12-18T08:57:16","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T08:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=175327"},"modified":"2015-12-18T08:57:16","modified_gmt":"2015-12-18T08:57:16","slug":"rwandans-vote-on-third-kagame-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/12\/rwandans-vote-on-third-kagame-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwandans vote on third Kagame term"},"content":{"rendered":"
Rwandans are voting in a referendum on a constitutional amendment to allow President Paul Kagame to seek a third term in office.<\/p>\n
Most voters, some 6.4 million, are eligible to vote on Friday, but around 37,000 Rwandans living overseas were able to have their say on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The change would allow Mr Kagame to potentially remain in power until 2034.<\/p>\n
Rwandans are expected to vote overwhelmingly in favour of changing the constitution.<\/p>\n
Mr Kagame is praised at home and abroad for bringing about development and economic growth, reports the BBC’s Catherine Byaruhanga in the Rwandan capital Kigali.<\/p>\n
But his critics accuse him of heavy-handed rule and human rights abuses, she adds.<\/p>\n
Mr Kagame himself has said he will wait for the outcome of the referendum before making his decision on whether to run in 2017.<\/p>\n