KAGAME BOOKS ALL CAMPAIGN VENUES
Aug 01, 2003
BUTARE, Friday — Rwanda formally opened a campaign for its presidential election with the opposition claiming that President Paul Kagame had booked every public arena.
BUTARE, Friday — Rwanda formally opened a campaign for its presidential election with the opposition claiming that President Paul Kagame had booked every public arena.
The election will take place on August 25 and parliamentary polls will follow on September 29.
However, efforts to get an independent comment from Kagame were futile.
The opposition candidate for the presidency, Faustin Twagiramungu, a former prime minister, said the campaign was off to a bad start.
Kagame is favoured to return to the presidency after a carefully prepared transition period.
“This is not the end of a transition, it is the beginning of a hardline dictatorship. I am very bitter. The international community is being lied to,†Twagiramungu told AFP.
Twagiramungu’s party, the Democratic Republican Movement (MDR), was officially dissolved in May for allegedly fomenting ethnic division.
Twagiramungu, who came back to Rwanda in June after eight years in Europe, is standing as an independent candidate.
The president of the national electoral commission, Chrisologue Karangwa, said the opening of the campaign meant that candidates were free to campaign until 24 hours before the opening of the voting booths.
He also warned international election observers not to go beyond their roles.
The election is being held under terms set by a national referendum earlier this year, designed to prevent future outbreaks of ethnic violence.
Karangwa also revealed that the Commission lacks about 1b Rwanda francs (about US $ 200,000) to facilitate the entire election exercise.
Due to some misunderstanding between Rwanda and her international sponsors, the whole exercise will be funded by the Rwanda government alone.
The electoral commission called on all Rwandans to give more money for the exercise.
The election will take place on August 25 and parliamentary polls will follow on September 29.
However, efforts to get an independent comment from Kagame were futile.
The opposition candidate for the presidency, Faustin Twagiramungu, a former prime minister, said the campaign was off to a bad start.
Kagame is favoured to return to the presidency after a carefully prepared transition period.
“This is not the end of a transition, it is the beginning of a hardline dictatorship. I am very bitter. The international community is being lied to,†Twagiramungu told AFP.
Twagiramungu’s party, the Democratic Republican Movement (MDR), was officially dissolved in May for allegedly fomenting ethnic division.
Twagiramungu, who came back to Rwanda in June after eight years in Europe, is standing as an independent candidate.
The president of the national electoral commission, Chrisologue Karangwa, said the opening of the campaign meant that candidates were free to campaign until 24 hours before the opening of the voting booths.
He also warned international election observers not to go beyond their roles.
The election is being held under terms set by a national referendum earlier this year, designed to prevent future outbreaks of ethnic violence.
Karangwa also revealed that the Commission lacks about 1b Rwanda francs (about US $ 200,000) to facilitate the entire election exercise.
Due to some misunderstanding between Rwanda and her international sponsors, the whole exercise will be funded by the Rwanda government alone.
The electoral commission called on all Rwandans to give more money for the exercise.