On your mark, get set, GO! The race to search for the next occupant of the highest office in the land is on. The three candidates vying for the seat have approximately three weeks to convince voters why they are best suited for the job. They all come with different loads in their baggage. The newest Kid on the Block, Philippe Mpayimana, just came out of the blue and has no known political past. He has the most difficult task of selling his agenda and he will have to dig deep to come up with a winning formula. The second candidate, Frank Habineza, of the Green Party, will also be attempting to try his luck. The incumbent, Paul Kagame, on the other hand, in the eyes of many, has nothing to prove, his track record speaks for itself. While election campaigns in Rwanda are low key, with hardly any incident to talk about, the electoral commission is preoccupied with the counter campaigns, especially on social media. It should by now have set up a dynamic team to monitor and counter the hate and incitement that will definitely be surfing the web. But that role should not be the sole reserve of the electoral commission; everyone should take it upon themselves that it is a duty to protect this country’s democratic institutions. May all candidates conduct fruitful campaigns.
