Senior Liberal Party (PL) politicians are having sleepless nights over the ongoing infighting that threatens to tear the party apart.

There are major worries over a sharp split that is rocking the party following this month’s internal senior-level elections, which saw Commerce minister Protais Mitali defeat MP Polycarpe Gatete to ascent to the highly coveted position of party president. Equally hotly contested was the post of first vice president, which the president of Ibuka, the Genocide survivors’ umbrella, Theodore Simburudali lost to Senator Dr Odette Nyiramirimo.

Days after the elections by the party congress on August 5, a group of figures including party treasurer MP Elie Ngirabakunzi wrote a scathing seven-page letter to Mitali accusing him and Nyiramirimo of buying votes.

They alleged that Mitali attempted to give a bribe of Frw5 million to one Emmanuel Uwimana through businessman Janvier Burahangwa to buy voters.

And although the new executive committee responded by instructing the party’s arbitration and evaluation committees to investigate the allegations, many senior party officials as well as members are concerned over the bad blood flowing between the party heavy weights just a year to the next parliamentary elections.

 "The situation is a cause of concern. There are unhealthy wrangles but I wouldn’t want to discuss the matter until the probe team makes its findings known,” former party president Prosper Higiro said.

He was, however, cautious in his remarks, insisting that he no longer speaks on behalf of the party. He said it was unfortunate and highly regrettable that the party top shots were backbiting themselves.

 "We always advise them whenever they approach us.” Higiro, who is also a Senate vice president, said he hoped the party overcomes "these trying moments” and concentrate on its democratic values.

The six-man probe team is headed by MP Emmanuel Mugabowindekwe. The legislator said his team would conclude provide its report on Wednesday (today) "unless the (party) president decides otherwise.”

Predictably, he declined to discuss the progress in their investigations.

 But asked to give his general opinion on the current infighting eating up the party without going into details of their investigation, Mugabowindekwe said: "It is obvious that we are extremely, extremely worried with such an environment.”

Information Minister Prof. Laurent Nkusi, a PL member, was uncomfortable to discuss the current troubles tearing the party apart. "I followed the elections and all I can tell you is that it was a hot contest. The results were close and I think that is a normal democracy,” Nkusi said.

Asked whether he thought the party was strong in light of the upcoming elections, the minister said: "To be frank I don’t know whether it’s strong on not.” On his part, the Secretary General of the Forum for Political Organisations, Anicent Kayigema, who also happens to be a PL member, said it would be most unfortunate if the allegations of bribery and intimidation levelled against the new party chiefs are finally confirmed by the investigating team.

 "It would be regrettable and in breach of many laws including the one governing political oganisations and politicians. 

At the Forum, we are strictly against such incidents since the same can spill over to other political organisations, that is, if the allegations are substantiated,” Kayigema said.

Sources say Kayigema had offered himself up for the post of party president, but withdrew his candidature apparently for fear of cheap politicking that had begun to unfold.

The intrigues in the party, according to a senior party member, stem largely from personal differences than on ideological grounds. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the squabbles had the split the party in three camps.

"There is one led by Mitali, then the one agitating for the resignation of Mitali and other new party leaders and another group of people who still hold party interests above theirs and seem to be trapped in the crossfire, a party insider said.

The source said matters and complicated by the fact that Mitali is trying to link his party problems with the allegations that he and other senior government officials could have had a criminal responsibility in procurement and management of large volumes of fuel from Dalbit Petroleum Ltd, a Kenyan firm.

 Mitali, Finance minister James Musoni, among others, have each been interrogated at least twice in connection to an early 2006 single-source procurement deal conducted without the blessing of the National Tender Board, or at least a Cabinet approval, as was the standard practice at the time. And indeed, in last Friday’s press conference, Mitali insinuated that his ministry and party woes were related even when these two issues are evidently different.

The Commerce minister, who was apparently seeking for public sympathy on both cases, wondered why the two cases had come at the same time.

In addition, some party officials are suspicious that the team probing the election irregularities will come up with an unbiased report given the fact that those who sanctioned the probe are the same people that are accused of election irregularities.

Pundits say the party shouldn’t be involved in internal wrangles at a time it should be positioning itself to garner more parliamentary seats in next year’s elections. Currently, PL has six seats in the Chamber of Deputies.Ends