RPF FLEXES ITS MUSCLES DURING CONGRESS, CHALLENGES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIGALI 000874

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR RW
SUBJECT: RPF FLEXES ITS MUSCLES DURING CONGRESS, CHALLENGES
WOULD-BE OPPONENTS

KIGALI 00000874 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Ambassador W. Stuart Symington for reasons 1.4 (b) (d)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On December 12, approximately 2500 Rwanda
Patriotic Front (RPF) members from across Rwanda held a party
congress in Kigali to hear remarks by Rwandan president Paul
Kagame and other senior figures and to elect individuals to
fill party leadership slots. RPF rank and file n]F 6vM&QQ22Q4renew Kagame's mandate as party chairman,
and returned Christophe Bazivamo (minister of forestry and
mines) and Francois Ngarambe to their positions as
vice-chairman and secretary-general, respectively. END
SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) During opening remarks at the congress, Kagame urged
party members to uphold their promises to the population and
encouraged them to speak freely and openly, to include
challenging top RPF leaders. He said the RPF had invited
representatives from all other political parties, but that
"some" chose not to come for reasons of their own. (Note:
The one who did not attend was Bernard Ntaganda of the Parti
Social-Imberakuri, who told us afterward his political allies
had already criticized him for joining the Political Party
Forum, and that he did not want to attract further criticism
by attending the RPF meeting as well. End Note.) Kagame
added that "some RPF members" were invited even though they
were planning to break with the party (NFI),declared that
the RPF did not fear those who wanted to create their own
parties, and said the Rwandan population would judge the RPF.


3. (SBU) After Kagame's remarks, leaders of other political
parties spoke, and generally expressed support for the RPF
and continued partnership with it. Internal Security
Minister Musa Fazil Harerimana, leader of the Parti
Democratique Ideal, asked rhetorically why anyone would dare
to challenge the RPF at the polls, comparing it to hitting
one's head against a wall. Senate President Vincent Biruta,
leader of the Parti Social Democrate, said Rwanda was
fortunate to have a government led by the RPF and Kagame.
Youth Minister Protais Mitali, leader of the Parti Liberal,
praised the RPF for its anti-genocide policy and its role in
supporting genocide survivors. And Prime Minister Bernard
Makuza, an independent, drew loud applause when he said the
RPF and Kagame were the best choices to govern Rwanda.


4. (SBU) When it came time for the congress to vote its
choices for party leadership positions, many members
initially wanted to signal their choice for chairman,
vice-chairman and secretary-general by applauding. Kagame
argued against this, and after many minutes of debate, the
congress agreed to cast votes by secret ballot. Initially,
no one opposed Kagame for the chairman's slot; after Kagame
chided the crowd over the lack of an challenger, Abdul Karim
Harerimana stood up and offered his candidacy. (Note:
Harerimana, a cabinet minister during the 1990s, is a member
of the East African Legislative Assembly. He reportedly won
two percent of the vote. End Note.) Bazivamo and Ngarambe
ran unopposed. The congress also elected several members to
serve as commissioners, including:
--ombudsman Tito Rutaremara (in the position since the RPF's
birth)
--education minister Charles Murigande (a commissioner since
2002; secretary-general before that)
--senator Aloysia Inyumba (in the position since the late
1990s)
--head of gacaca courts Donatila Mukantaganzwa (in the
Q--head of gacaca courts Donatila Mukantaganzwa (in the
position since 2005)
--local government minister James Musoni (in the position
since 2005)
--minister without portfolio Solina Nyirahabimana (in the
position since 2005)
--electoral commission chairman Chrysologue Karangwa (in the
position since 2005)
--senator Antoine Mugesera (in the position since 2005)
--member of parliament Bernadette Kanzayire (in the position
since 2005)
--senator Joseph Karemera (new)
--member of parliament Abdul Karim Harerimana (new)
(Note: Kagame reportedly grimaced at the election of
Karemera and others (NFI).)


5. (C) COMMENT: Although there was some speculation that
Ngarambe's term would end, few observers expected major
changes in RPF leadership with presidential elections due in
August 2010. It was mildly surprising that congress did not
decide on a presidential candidate-expected to be
Kagame-given the size of the gathering. One possible

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explanation is that the RPF congress was sandwiched between
two national-level events, the National Dialogue Conference
and the Diaspora Conference, and that senior RPF leaders may
have wanted to avoid charges of "politicizing" these two
high-profile events, which were billed as being held in the
name of all Rwandans. Another explanation is that the RPF
leaders simply judge it wiser to wait until closer to the
actual, short official campaign season (it will begin July
20, 2010) in order to maintain momentum and maximize turnout
at the polls. As for Kagame's remarks about RPF members
quitting, local rumor and the Kinyarwanda press speculated
that these were directed at senator Karemera and Patrick
Mazimhaka, a former minister and deputy African Union
chairman, and that they may be behind the nascent Democratic
Green Party of Rwanda and its efforts to register. END
COMMENT.
SYMINGTON