Y.J. Choi
(Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General): Everyone should respect
democratic principle

Le
Nouveau Réveil  – (...)

UN radio:
After
having informed the Security Council of the remaining challenges to be met to
respect the date of the elections in Côte d'Ivoire, what was its message?

Y.J. Choi:
There are three elements. First, they congratulated Ivorians on the final voters
list which is very solid and credible.

Ivorians themselves agreed on the production of the list. So they deserve
congratulations.
Secondly, we also welcome the date of the presidential election
scheduled for 31 October and all the indications make us feel that it is going
to work. So we are here to accompany them. After 31 October, everyone should
also respect the democratic principle. We are confident that the protagonists
and the political parties and Ivorians will respect the democratic principles
according to the results of the first round of elections. It is this  democratic
principle which should guide us towards the second round if need be.

UNOCI's
timetable for safe distribution of electoral documents

L'Inter  – (...)
The first
group of 300 peacekeepers being deployed in the United Nations Operation in Côte
d'Ivoire to help provide security during the presidential election are expected
in the next 15 days, the Mission's spokesman, Hamadoun Touré, announced on
Thursday. Speaking at the Mission's weekly press conference, Mr. Touré said that
the troops will help reinforce UNOCI's military and logistical capacity. He
recalled that the decision to deploy 500 additional peacekeepers stemmed from
the report by the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General
for Côte d'Ivoire, Y. J. Choi to the Security Council. (...) In the same
connection, Mr. Touré announced UNOCI's organization of the national
distribution of the electoral material in three cycles from 1^st
October 2010. The first distribution cycle called CD1, involves the
transportation of the non- sensitive material (ballot boxes, polling booths,
electoral kits) from Abidjan and Yamoussoukro to the districts, explained Mr.
Touré. The second cycle or CD2, he said, involves sensitive material like the
voters and identity cards and the final voters list which will be transported
from Abidjan to the 415 local electoral commissions (sub prefectures and
municipalities). Finally, according to the Spokesman, the third cycle or CD3
will cover the transportation of other types of sensitive material like ballot
papers, indelible ink, and electoral documents. "The distribution cycles are
scheduled from 1^st to 16 October 2010", Mr. Touré said.

Elections / distribution of
the national identity cards: IEC warns: nobody has been assigned to collect
enrolment receipts

Nord Sud  –
We are frequently informed that ill-intentioned persons are collecting enrolment
receipts from house to house, claiming that they have been assigned to
distribute the voters and identity cards at home. The IEC wants to underline
that it has not entrusted anyone with this mission. It calls on the population
to be vigilant regarding such actions which are aimed at undermining the
electoral process and asks the population to conserve their enrolment receipts.
The distribution has not been initiated yet. It will start at the national level
through a timetable of double distribution of the voters and identity cards. As
soon as the operation will start, every petitioner will be asked to go
themselves to the polling stations to collect the cards. (...)

Soro meets with directors of
State Medias this morning

Le Nouveau Réveil  –
Prime Minister Guillaume Soro this morning meets the heads of the regulatory
bodies and State Medias to discuss the tricky issue of the equal access of the
candidates to the presidential election to the Medias in this pre-campaign and
electoral period. This is the main information which stemmed from the two-hours
working session that he held yesterday at his office with the Minister of
Communication, the Communication Division in the Prime Minister's office, the
CICG, the IEC's Chairman and his communication staff, and the communication
Division in the FAFN's military headquarters. At the beginning of the meeting,
the Ivorian Chief of Government said that things must be well said in this
sensitive phase of the electoral process." (...) The electoral code provides for
two periods. The pre-campaign period is characterized by all the candidates'
access to the State Medias. And the campaign period which concerns the equal
access to the State Medias to all the candidates. This is an important issue
since the State Media will be submitted to the UN's certification in the global
process of the presidential election's certification. (...)

Candidates' activities on the
ground – Affi does not agree with the IEC

Notre Voie  –
The spokesperson for candidate Laurent Gbagbo yesterday said that the rules have
not yet been implemented. The latest statement by the Independent Electoral
Commission (IEC) regarding the regulation of the electoral period was noted by
Pascal Affi N'Guessan. Candidate Laurent Gbagbo's spokesperson who was speaking
to journalists yesterday at the HQ of the presidential majority said:
"candidates' activities are not regulated during the pre-campaign period which
is a warm-up phase.
The rules are not yet implemented.
They will be implemented from
15 October when the campaign will start. The institutions should not be
obstacles to the good functioning of the country". (...) Laurent Gbagbo's
spokesperson however outlined that during the electoral campaign, the
candidates' time to be on the air should be shared out according to the
candidates' importance. "Candidates are not equal. Some candidates' words are
more important than others'", Affi said and he added that "elections will be
between two or three candidates and Ivoirians particularly need to listen to
them" (...)

Mrs. Affoussy Bamba, Forces
Nouvelles' spokesperson: the identification challenge is lifted

Nord Sud  –
In Press release number 090910, the Forces Nouvelles welcomed the signing by His
Excellency Mr. Laurent Gbagbo of the decree which authorized the distribution of
the voters and identity cards to all the 5,725,720 Ivoirians on the final voters
list. This phase is significant since it is the result of a long fight by the
Forces Nouvelles since 19 September 2002, the identity issue being one of the
foundations of their commitment. The Force Nouvelles welcomes the fact that on
Friday 1^st October 2010, the voters and identity cards will be handed
over to the Ivorian State to be distributed to Ivoirians. (...) The Forces
Nouvelles recall that after the settlement of the identification challenge, the
security arrangements regarding the electoral process is another challenge to be
met. (...)