New Delhi: Monday’s election in Rwanda came as no surprise. Three-time president Paul Kagame won with a landslide majority, winning 99.15 percent votes, and is back for a fourth term. In the election that saw a 98 percent voter turnout, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, secured 0.53 percent and 0.32 percent of the votes respectively.
In the country’s last election in 2017, Kagame had won 99 percent of the votes.
Rwanda, straight out of the gruesome genocide of 1994, elected Kagame as president by voting for his Tutsi-dominated party Rwanda Patriotic Front in 2000. Kagame previously served as defense minister and vice-president in 1994, soon after his RPF declared a unilateral ceasefire, ending the genocide and participating in the formation of the Unity Government. Kagame was only 36 years of age at the time.
Now 66, Kagame has been known to repress political opposition and his re-election may be looked at with skepticism with commentators calling it “a sign of a ‘democracy’ that silences all dissent.” Kagame amended the constitution in 2015 allowing him to run again for president in 2017. In Monday’s election, two prominent politicians, Victoire Ingabire and Bernard Ntaganda, were barred from contesting as the courts rejected the removal of their previous convictions.
However, the leader of the East African nation is credited with economic development, making Rwanda the second-best business location in the continent. The country’s GDP and Human Development Index both are on the rise. Kagame’s most notable achievement, however, is bringing a sense of security among the citizens, and it is evident as researchers study why a post-conflict Hutu-majority society has voted in favour of a Tutsi president, keeping him in power for decades.
Houthis attack Tel Aviv, call it ‘primary target’
In the early hours of Friday, an explosive-laden drone hit Tel Aviv, killing one and injuring 10 others. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack, calling Tel Aviv “unsafe” and warning that the city will be a “primary target” in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare’e said, “We will continue to strike these targets in response to the enemy’s massacres and daily crimes against our brothers in the Gaza Strip. “Our operations will only cease when the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
While the Israeli air force has taken responsibility for not being able to detect the drone that came from above the Mediterranean Sea, Israeli authorities are investigating the security lapses. The new drone — an Iranian-made UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] that can fly large distances — is capable of bypassing interceptor systems and radars.
Israel has increased air patrols and Defence Minister Gallant has vowed to “settle the score”.
Trump says Taiwan should pay US for defense against China
In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, published Tuesday, US presidential candidate Donald Trump said Taiwan should pay for the defence support it gets from the US. He further blamed Taiwan for taking away the US’ “chip business” and said the island which is 9,500 miles away “doesn’t give us anything”. Trump’s statements have created a bit of a stir as shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company fell after his comments.
“I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100% of our chip business1. I think, Taiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything. Taiwan is 9,500 miles away,” said Trump.
While the US does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) carries out unofficial relations with the island. Taiwan is the United States’ eighth-largest trading partner, and the United States is Taiwan’s second-largest trading partner.
While Taiwan pays for almost all its defence equipment to US companies, and has increased its defence spending in the last two years, US President Joe Biden seeked to directly transfer some military equipment to Taiwan, drawing on US stockpiles, the NYT reported. Earlier this year, as part of the ‘Foreign Aid Bill’, Biden signed $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Another $2 billion of funding in the aid package will go towards the foreign military financing program for Taiwan.
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Chinese billionaire & CCP critic found guilty of fraud
Guo Wengui, a self-exiled Chinese billionaire, has been convicted of fraud, racketeering, and money laundering in the US. A known critic of the Chinese Communist Party and one of the richest people back in China, Wengui was close to right-wing Americans and gained a lot of support on the internet.
Wengui was indicted in 2023 on accusations of raising more than $1 billion from online followers by tricking them in the name of investments in cryptocurrency since 2018. The prosecution alleged that he used these funds to support his “lavish lifestyle”. The defence did not plead guilty and used Wengoi’s connections with Republican politicians and his opposition to the Chinese regime to sway the jury. He “used cryptocurrency to move money freely from an oppressive regime,” they claimed.
While Wengui has been in jail since March 2023, the sentence will be granted in November. He has been convicted of nine criminal counts and may be looking at a possibility of a few more decades behind bars.
Chief of Vietnam’s Communist Party dies of old age, ill health
Vietnam’s most powerful politician, the chief of the Communist Party, is no more. Nguyen Phu Trong, 80, under whom Vietnam emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies, took charge of the Communist Party as its general secretary in 2011. He passed away of old age and illness, as reported by state media.
Under Trong’s leadership, Vietnam experienced remarkable economic growth. He called for the opening up of the economy with policies that attracted substantial foreign investment, turning Vietnam into a manufacturing hub, with exports roughly equaling the size of its economy and the US as its largest market.
Trong’s tenure saw Vietnam balancing its relationships with major global powers, particularly China and the United States, amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. In a historic moment, Trong became the first party chief to visit the US in 2015, meeting then US president Barack Obama at the White House. This visit marked a significant step in US-Vietnam relations, which were soured for decades. Both Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping offered their condolences upon Trong’s passing.
Trong was also known for his relentless anti-corruption campaign, known as the “blazing furnace”, which led to the prosecution of numerous business leaders and high-ranking officials including two former presidents.
In the wake of Trong’s ill health, interim leadership was assumed by president To Lam who is seen as a possible successor to Trong as general secretary of the Communist Party.
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