Chairman of Rwandan National Electoral Commission (NEC) Kalisa Mbanda (L) releases the final results of the presidential elections in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda, on Aug. 9, 2017. NEC Wednesday released the final results of the presidential elections, declaring that Paul Kagame wins the third term. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

Rwandan National Electoral Commission (NEC) Wednesday released the final results of the presidential elections, declaring that Paul Kagame wins the third term.

According to NEC, the incumbent president Paul Kagame won 98.79 percent of the vote, with over 6.6 million votes. Independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana stood at second with 0.73 percent of the vote. The other candidate Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda got 0.48 percent of the vote.

"The elections were free and fair. Paul Kagame is the winner of the Rwanda presidential elections 2017. These final results are a consolidation of votes from all over Rwanda and the Diaspora," said Kalisa Mbanda, chairman of NEC.

Around 6.9 million people cast ballots last week, making the turnout 98.15 percent, according to NEC.

NEC declared Paul Kagame as the winner of the presidential elections last Saturday, citing provisional results.

Mpayimana and Habineza conceded defeat after the release of the provisional results.

Kagame, who is also the chairman of the ruling party Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), has been president since 2000 when he was elected by ministers and members of parliament following the resignation of then President Pasteur Bizimungu.

He was re-elected in the 2003 and 2010 presidential elections by winning around 95 percent and 93 percent of votes respectively.

Rwanda, which has been recovering since the 1994 genocide, is now considered a model for developing countries, especially African ones.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2017)