The polling stations in Rwanda opened at 6 am on Monday, but the result is already known.

By Anneke Verbraeken, Kigali

The only thing that is a little bit uncertain is the number of Rwandese voting for sitting president Paul Kagame (RPF). In 2003, after fraudulous elections, he became president with 95 percent of the votes.

Technically spoken, the elections of 2010 will have improved considerably. It’s the repression and violence of the months and weeks before that worried and worries the international community and donor-countries like the US, UK and the Netherlands. These countries have been keeping remarkably quiet. Beacon of hope Rwanda is one of the few African countries with a healthy economic growth and political stability. It is governed in an autocratic way they’ve put up with, until now.

Remarkable also is the role of the Netherlands. Dutch ambassador Frans Makken is co-president of de National Election Committee (NEC) and as such also responsible for the way the elections are held. Makken became vice-president because the president of the NEC is a party member of the RPF, Kagame’s party. With Makken’s participation the neutrality of NEC would be assured, according to the donor countries.

Not participating in the elections are Victoire Ingabire (UDF) and Frank Habineza of the Green Party. They claim the government made it impossible to register their party and therefore they can’t run for president. Ingabire is under house arrest, awaiting a trial that could end with a life sentence. She is accused among other things of ties with the Hutu rebel force FPLR. A few weeks ago, André Kagwa Rwisereka, vice-president of the Green Party was murdered.

Looking at the donor countries, the United States are the only one who sent a substantial group of observers. Around fifty Americans are in Rwanda since two months. The Commonwealth sent 13 observers last week. The EU sent nobody. According to them the stable Rwanda has no priority, as there are 15 other African countries with elections this year.

The provisional results will be known by Tuesday or Wednesday. New president Kagame can rule a new term of 7 years. Question will be if he does resign after his second term, as required by the constitution. Question is also whether he remains president for another seven years. There is a growing group with power and wealth, who don’t want to lose because of the anti-corruption activities of Paul Kagame. There is also a rising group of young Rwandese who are tired of living in the shade of Kagame.