Diane Shima RwigaraCentral Africa Rwanda 

Nude photos of Diane Shima Rwigara threaten to derail her bid to unsit Incumbant Paul Kagame

35-year-old Diane Shima Rwigara is about to find out how hard running for President of Rwanda can be. On Friday, May 5, 2017, the nude photos of Rwanda’s leading female presidential candidate leaked on the Internet.

As we went to press, there are no strong leads on how the pictures surfaced online but there are whispers that it was a job from her ‘enemies’- the ruling party. The gist from Rwanda is that the attempt to smear Rwigara’s image have so far backfired.

The nude photos are said to have popped on social media a week after she announced her decision to challenge President Paul Kagame in the polls. Even though her supporters are firmly behind her despite the scandal, political analysts wonder if the photos won’t hurt her chances in the long run.

This cloud of raunchy photos hovering around her candidacy might lead some to ask if this isn’t a case of double standards. Why should a woman’s chances of becoming President be hampered by her nude photos? Male politicians are in scandals all the time and they have thriving political careers, or do they?

We are living in a President Trump era where normal rules no longer apply in politics. If a billionaire who said his style of seducing women is to ‘grab em by the pussy’, can become President then what’s the fuss about some nudes.

Trump has set the bar low for scandalous politicians. We have to, however, remind ourselves though that Trump is an exception. What he can get away with others cannot especially career politicians.

The office of the President does more than uphold law and justice as well as create sound economic policies of the state. The President should also reflect the morals and values of the country. It might be hard to convince voters that nude photos don’t matter especially in an African country.

Diane Shima Rwigara might have a strong manifesto to knock Kagame from the number one spot but she needs to handle the spin concerning her photos. If she did like Obama and was forthright about the photos like he did with his drug use, then this might be an issue.

For now, the issues concerning the presidential election are now in the background and the nude photos have taken centre stage. A picture is worth a thousand words.

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