This is the list of all the presidents to have served Rwanda from 1961 till date, which include their terms in office, and political party:
| President | Term of Office | Political Party |
|---|---|---|
| Dominique Mbonyumutwa | 28 January 1961 – 26 October 1961 | Parmehutu |
| Grégoire Kayibanda | 26 October 1961 – 1 July 1962 | Parmehutu |
| Grégoire Kayibanda | 1 July 1962 – 5 July 1973 | Parmehutu |
| Juvénal Habyarimana | 5 July 1973 – 6 April 1994 | MRND / Military |
| Théodore Sindikubwabo | 8 April 1994 – 19 July 1994 | MRND |
| Pasteur Bizimungu | 19 July 1994 – 23 March 2000 | RPF |
| Paul Kagame | 24 March 2000 – Present | RPF |
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Who Was The First President Of Rwanda?
Grégoire Kayibanda was the first President of independent Rwanda, who served as president from 1962 to 1973. Kayibanda was born on May 1, 1924, in Musambira, Rwanda.
He started his education in his village and later went to the Major Seminary in Nyakibanda, where he finished his studies in 1947. After school, Kayibanda worked as a teacher for some years.
Then, in 1954, he switched to journalism and became an editor. He also got involved in politics. In 1957, he wrote the “Bahutu Manifesto,” which called for Hutu control of the government.
He founded the Hutu Emancipation Movement Party (Parmehutu), which opposed Tutsi control in Rwanda. In 1959, there was a peasant revolt encouraged by Parmehutu.
Although the revolt failed, it led to a movement to end the Tutsi monarchy. The United Nations urged Belgium, which controlled Rwanda, to move the country towards independence.
In 1960, elections were held, and Hutu candidates won, gaining local power. In 1961, with Belgian support, an all-Hutu provisional government was formed. This government declared Rwanda a republic and ended the Tutsi monarchy.
In September 1961, elections were held for the National Assembly, and Parmehutu won. Kayibanda became president. With Hutus in power, many Tutsis fled Rwanda. By 1962, over 120,000 Tutsis had left the country.
Kayibanda strengthened his party’s control over the government, and in 1965, Rwanda became a one-party state. He was re-elected in 1965 and 1969 without any opposition. However, there were problems within the Hutu community.
People accused Kayibanda of corruption, nepotism, and abuse of power. On July 1, 1973, northern Hutu army officers overthrew the government. They replaced Kayibanda with Juvenal Habyarimana, a northerner.
Kayibanda and his wife, Verediana Mukagatare, were arrested and later died in prison from starvation. Kayibanda died on December 15, 1976, at the age of 52.
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Who Was The President Of Rwanda From 1973 To 1994?
Juvénal Habyarimana was the president of Rwanda from 1973 to 1994. He became president through a military coup in 1973, taking power from the previous president, Grégoire Kayibanda.
Habyarimana ruled Rwanda with strict control until his assassination in 1994, which led to the tragic Rwandan genocide.
He was born in 1937 in a place that was then called Ruanda-Urundi, now known as Rwanda, and he studied humanities, mathematics, and medicine before joining the National Guard in 1960.
Then, he moved up the ranks and became chief of staff in 1963 and minister of defense in 1965. In 1973, he led a group of Hutu military officers in a coup, overthrowing the then-president.
Once in power, Habyarimana initially banned all political activities. Later, he set up a single-party state called the National Revolutionary Movement for Development, with himself as the only leader.
He was elected president in 1978, 1983, and 1988, each time with a vast majority of the votes, showing how much control he had over the political system.
During his rule, there were only small-scale incidents of violence against the Tutsi minority until 1990. That year, the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) began a rebellion, which increased ethnic tensions in the country.
Hutu mobs, with Habyarimana’s support, killed many Tutsi civilians. In 1993, Habyarimana signed a power-sharing agreement with the RPF in Arusha, Tanzania. This deal was not well received by Hutu extremists in his government.
On April 6, 1994, Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, killing him and the Hutu leader of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira.
This event triggered the Rwandan genocide, where Hutu extremists killed about 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu people.
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Who Is The Current President Of Rwanda?
The current president of Rwanda is Paul Kagame, and he has been the president since March 24, 2000. Paul Kagame was born on October 23, 1957, in Tambwe, Rwanda. He is a member of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a political party he helped start in 1987.
This party played a big part in stopping the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Under Kagame’s leadership, Rwanda has changed a lot. The economy has grown, making Rwanda one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa.
Kagame has focused on bringing the country together after the genocide, where about 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed.
He has worked on national unity and reconciliation. Rwanda now has one of the highest numbers of women in parliament in the world, which shows Kagame’s push for women’s empowerment.
However, some people accuse him of being authoritarian. They say he stops political opponents and limits freedom of speech. Many opposition figures are not allowed to take part in elections.
In the 2024 presidential election, Kagame won with 99.18% of the vote. This huge win has been criticized by human rights groups who believe the elections are not fair or transparent.
Despite these issues, many Rwandans still support Kagame. They believe he has brought stability and growth to the country. Kagame is also an important figure in East African politics. He has been the Chairperson of the East African Community and has had different roles in the African Union.