Rwanda: PSD party official defects to Green Party

By Rwanda News Agency
May 6, 2010

Kigali: The sister to the founder member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) now headed by Senate President Dr. Vincent Biruta is the new Secretary General in the yet-to-be registered Green Party, its officials said.

Ms. Didacienne Kangeyo, herself a former National Permanent Secretary of PSD defected to the trouble-ridden Green Party as it sets up new structures following recent defections.

Three senior executives including the Secretary General Mr. Charles Kabanda left the Green Party last month accusing party leader Mr. Frank Habineza of misrepresenting the views of the party at a conference in Uganda. Mr. Habineza denied the allegations.

The new SG Ms. Kangeyo is a sister to deceased Ngango Felician – the ex-vice president of PSD who was assassinated during the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. He is currently among the heroes buried at the Heroes Tomb along with ex-RFP chief Maj Gen. Fred Gisa Rwigema.

Senate President Dr. Vincent Biruta has been at the helm of PSD for years. In the 2003 presidential polls, he rallied behind President Kagame but the party fielded separate parliamentary candidates for 2008 polls.

The other new members of the 9-member Green Party executive team are: First Vice President, Mr. Andre Rwisereka Kagwa; Second Vice President, Ms. Jeanine Uwineza; and Treasurer General, Mr. Alexis Mugisha.

Meanwhile, party sources tell RNA that the Green Party has abandoned plans to hold a delegates conference which they had planned to use to prepare a registration dossier. The Law for Political Parties, does not require a party to have a congress in order to get registered, but requires the signatures of party members to be certified by a public Notary.

This is what the group has chosen to take – accusing Gasabo district of failing its plans.

“We shall therefore take our members, on different occasions to a Government Notary to certify our documents and then take the dossier to the Ministry of Local Government for registration. This way, we hope that our security will be guaranteed, since we shall be taking very small numbers, required by the Law to the Public Notary,” the group said Thursday.