Senate Committee recommends political party validation

The Senate’s Standing Committee on Political Affairs and Good Governance, has requested the Ministry of Local Government to revise and probably revalidate political parties in the country to ensure they are operating under the law. The commission headed by Senator Joseph Karemera made the appeal on Monday while presenting a report compiled on the state of political organisations in the country. The findings of the commission unearthed improper operations of some parties while others were said to be financially handicapped to guarantee their future. Addressing the Senate at the Parliamentary Building Monday, Karemera, presented the situation of all political parties in the country, coming up with recommendations for the Local Government Ministry. “The Ministry of Local Government which is in charge of licensing political parties should always follow up on whether they live up to the conditions that allow them to operate,” Karemera read the from the report. He added: “this would allow the country to have only active political parties but not just a big number.” To date, there are nine political parties in Rwanda; the ruling Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF- Inkotanyi), Centrist Democratic Party (PDC), the Rwandan Socialist Party (PSR), the Ideal Democratic Party (PDI), and the Democratic Popular Union (UPDR). Others are Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Liberal Party (PL), the Concord Progressive Party (PPC), and the Prosperity and Solidarity Party (PSP). Part of Karemera’s report which The New Times obtained reads that currently UDPR and PSP operate with no headquarters and that all the nine political parties lack uniqueness in their awareness programmes, which is a legal obligation. The parties listed in the report as financially bankrupt are PSP, PSR and UDPR. RPF Inkotanyi was the only party that actively operates on a daily basis with professional staff down to the district level from 2005. “It is clear that majority of the political parties only become active during the election period while in other days are not active,” reads the report. Parties discovered to have no single penny in their accounts are UDPR and PSP, a party headed by Senator Stanley Safari. Ends

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Senate Committee recommends political party validation