KIGALI, July 15 (Reuters) – Voters in Rwanda lined up at polling stations on Monday to elect their next president, with 66-year-old incumbent Paul Kagame, who has ruled the central African country for nearly a quarter of a century, expected to cruise to victory.

Kagame has won more than 93% of the vote at each of the three previous elections. Eight candidates had applied to run against him, but only two were retained in the final list validated by the electoral commission.

The others, including Kagame’s most vocal critics, were barred for various reasons that included prior criminal convictions.

At the Rwandexco polling centre in the capital Kigali people started queueing 90 minutes before polls opened.

Voter Barimukije Pheneas said he had chosen to re-elect Kagame, who is praised for rebuilding the country in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide by prioritising development and putting in place effective social services.

“We voted smoothly without any crowding, and we are happy,” Pheneas said. “I voted for Paul Kagame because he has achieved a lot for us; he united us.”

Kagame is running against two other candidates, Frank Habineza and Philippe Mpayimana, who also challenged him at the last poll in 2017.

He is looking to win the endorsement of the more than 9 million eligible voters, who are also electing members of parliament. Provisional results are expected by July 20.

Motorcycle taxi driver Karangwa Vedaste said the voting process was calm and peaceful.

“I voted for a leader I trust. The one I voted for is a secret in my heart. We will share it when he wins,” Vedaste said.

Kagame won nearly 99% of the vote in the 2017 poll, which followed a constitutional change removing term limits that would have prevented him from standing again.

He has won acclaim for transforming Rwanda into a thriving economy but has also faced criticism from rights activists and Western nations for muzzling the media, stifling opposition and backing rebel groups in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwanda’s government has denied all the accusations against it, and while campaigning, Kagame promised continued development and stability.

Its human rights record was thrown into the spotlight when Rwanda struck a migration deal in 2022 with the UK to receive thousands of asylum seekers. Britain’s new government has said it would scrap the deal.

(Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Ros Russell and Michael Perry)