Meeting between Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza and Mr. Frank Habineza

Meeting between Mrs. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, Chairperson of the United Democratic Forces (UDF-Inkingi) and Mr. Frank Habineza, Chairperson of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda

On this 7th day of December 2009, the Chairperson of the UDF-INKINGI, Mrs. Victoire INGABIRE UMUHOZA and the Chairperson of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, Mr. Frank HABINEZA met in The Hague, Netherlands, and jointly examined some of the fundamental problems affecting Rwanda in general and the forthcoming presidential elections to be held in August 2010 in particular.

With regard to the prevailing situation in Rwanda, both leaders reiterated their vehement condemnation of the ruthless policies of the RPF led government characterized by, among other things, the following acts :

1. Keeping people in perpetual extreme poverty characterized by widespread malnutrition and poor healthcare, especially in rural areas.
2. Denying people their most basic rights in their own country
3. Continuous persecution and harassment of journalists and press
4. Refusing members of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda to hold their inaugural congress.

Both leaders therefore called upon the RPF regime and made the following requests :

• Remove all obstacles which hinder the registration of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda so that the Party can freely exercise its political activities ;

• Grant passports to UDF-INKINGI’s leaders so that they can go back home and start the process of registering their Party.

With regard to the 2010 presidential elections in Rwanda, the two leaders deplored RPF’s malicious tactics aimed at rigging the upcoming elections. A striking example is the actual National Electoral Commission (NEC) which is wholly RPF dominated. In much the same way, the existing electoral law provisions are meant to stifle the opposition parties.

Hence, the two leaders called upon all Rwandan citizens in Rwanda or abroad to unite and stand up as one person in order to strongly denounce RPF’s malicious acts against UDF-INKINGI and Green Party. Such acts are mostly designed to ban these two political parties from actively and freely participating in the upcoming 2010 presidential elections and to ensure that the RPF candidate wins with an overwhelming majority.

Done in The Hague, 7th December, 2009

Victoire INGABIRE UMUHOZA (signed)

UDF-INKINGI

Chairperson

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Frank HABINEZA (signed)

Democratic Green Party of Rwanda

Chairperson

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Read the Press Release here