Rwanda election: Calls mount for independent autopsy of slain opposition leader

As the Monitor reported last month, South African police were treating the attempted murder of former Rwandan Army chief Lt. Gen. Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa – a longtime Kagame ally who fled Rwanda in February after Kagame's government accused him of launching grenade attacks – as an assassination attempt.

Kagame's government has also recently banned two independent newspapers, denied an HRW researcher a visa, and, in April, arrested Kagame’s chief opponent in the presidential elections, Victoire Ingabire, for “genocide denial.”

Kagame shrugs off criticism

Kagame has long dismissed such criticism and reiterated his stance on Wednesday.

"The elections will be free, fair, and stable," Kagame told reporters. "If people in Rwanda decide that I shouldn't continue to lead, I would respect it humbly, 110 percent."

If Kagame wins, as he is once again widely expected to, Kagame said he will continue to boost the economy with pro-business policies that have been lauded worldwide.

As for why the opposition is so weak: That's not his problem, suggested Kagame.

"My job has not been to create an opposition," he said. "My job is to create the environment where legitimate things can happen."

Now, for extra credit, define legitimate.

Related:

• Former Rwandan army chief shot in South Africa. Was it an assassination attempt?
• Rwanda crackdown: Human Rights Watch researcher denied visa
• Rwandan opposition leader Ingabire released on bail

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