Independent presidential aspirant Philippe Mpayimana, on May 30, submitted to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) his candidature for the July presidential elections.

In an interview, he underscored the need for continuous progress for Rwanda and its people.

It is his second attempt for the Head of State position after the unsuccessful 2017 bid when he got 0.72 per cent of the total votes in elections that the incumbent, President Paul Kagame won by a landslide - more than 98 per cent of the votes.

Mpayimana is now a senior expert in charge of community engagement at the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), a position he has held since November 2021.

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As of May 30 - which is the deadline for submission of candidatures - nine presidential aspirants, seven independents and two from political organisations - were registered by NEC.

Mpayimana said his second bid for the presidency is informed by his commitment to perform better, pointing out that he expects better results in the upcoming polls, if his candidature is approved.

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"I did what was possible, and now I have done what is possible by submitting the required documents. I will do my best so that I attain the position I aspire for to serve Rwandans and make them achieve progress as my goal is another step in democracy and development," he stated.

'What we want is that Rwandans achieve development progressively," he said, adding that if a candidate gets few votes in elections, they should understand the underlying reasons.

Among the aims he would strive for is increasing food production, he said, noting that he also wants to enhance Pan-Africanism among Rwandans.

"Rwanda must be the crossroads of Africa," he said.