Henri Konan
Bédié (PDCI-RDA's candidate for presidential elections): « The conditions are
right to organize elections late July – August 2010 »

Le Nouveau
Réveil  –
Chairman Henri Konan Bédié, Chairman of the PDCI-RDA, candidate
of the above-mentioned party for the presidential election, was recently a guest
on RFI. In an interview with journalists (Mukamabano and Norbert Navaro),
Chairman Bédié said explained the reasons for the deadlock in the
crisis-resolution process, the future of the RHDP and particularly what he will
do for Côte d'Ivoire after he is elected.

(...)
RFI:
Mr. Chairman, the electoral lists are not the only conditions for the
organization of elections. There is also disarmament; this is what the
Ouagadougou Political Agreement says. Disarmament should be carried out before
the elections. We have the feeling that it is slow in this domain. Do you think
that there are deadlocks and who is causing them?

Henri Konan
Bédié:
In this regard it is still possible to find reasons for the deadlocks. But the
meeting I held with Laurent Gbagbo gave the opportunity to the Prime Minister to
give explanations on the disarmament process. As you note, the process starts on
15 June and on this issue we almost agreed and said that what the Prime Minister
planned, namely cantonment, demobilization of ex-combatants, redeployment of the
administration in the north of the country, especially the redeployment of the
financial institutions, we agreed that these measures were enough but were not a
prerequisite to the holding of elections.

RFI:
For
example, for you today, Côte d'Ivoire can go to elections. I ask you the
question because for non-Ivorians, we really wonder what the deadlock is. Is it
the will to resolve everything before the holding of elections so that there is
no more contestation at the security, military or political level, unless it is
a bad faith not to have elections and drag things out?

Henri Konan
Bédié:
It has always been due to bad faith not to have elections.

RFI:
From whom?

Henri Konan
Bédié:
From Laurent Gbagbo and the presidential camp. To date, with the latest
obstacles that will be lifted within one month, namely the revision of the
electoral list, I say that conditions will be right so that we have elections
late July – August. (...)

Electoral
process / Alassane Ouattara: « Gbagbo and Soro can keep us hostage for years »

L'Intelligent
d'Abidjan –
The Chairman of the Rally of Republicans (RDR), on Sunday 13 June
2010, was a guest on "African Debates" on RFI. On this occasion, Alassane
Ouattara, said that Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and Head of State Laurent
Gbagbo were responsible for the failure to hold elections in Côte d'Ivoire. "The
Ouagadougou Political Agreement is an agreement between the two ex-belligerents.
It must be applied. If not they can keep us hostage for years. Imagine that they
take ten years to do it, do you think that we should wait ten years before they
apply an agreement they privately signed and which involves only both of them?
Whereas all the political class and 14 selected candidates have been waiting for
elections for the past six months. I am not criticizing the Agreement but I am
asking for its implementation. They have the means to do it. It is up to the
Head of State and the Prime Minister". These are the words of the RDR's leader
on "African Debates" on RFI. Alassane Ouattara said that disarmament and Côte
d'Ivoire's reunification, as demanded by the presidential camp, are false
arguments. And he insisted on the need for Ivorians to hold a debate on
nationality code. "These are delicate and important issues to Ivorians. I have
my idea on the issue. But I will not tell you. What I want is consensus. This is
a very important issue so one cannot make a decree on his own and say that it is
the new code of nationality. It is important to have a debate (...) and it should
be recalled that the country is reunified and conditions are right to have
elections. "Because if the Head of State decided in one week or ten days to sign
the decree for the adoption of the definitive list, elections could be held two
or three weeks later".

Instruction Group 4:
« Commander Fofié Kouakou receives the flag today

Le Jour plus  –
It is today that
General Soumaila Bakayoko will
officially handover the Ivorian flag to Commander Fofié Kouakou, previously zone
10 commander and now new commander of  instruction group 4, in accordance with
the configuration.
Zone 4
comprises Bouaké, Korhogo, Séguéla and Man districts.
The ceremony
which is in connection with unification of the army is full of symbols. It will
be seen as a prelude to the cantonment of elements of the Armed Forces of the
Forces Nouvelles which starts tomorrow.
(...)

Cantonment: Marie Odette
Lorougnon deplores the threats on the date of 15 June

Fraternité Matin  –
The Member of
Parliament for Attécoubé, Mrs Marie Odette Lorougnon was yesterday patron of
Mother's Day organised by the Women's Union of Côte d'Ivoire for Gbagbo's
Victory (UFCIVB). (...) The MP for Attécoubé deplored the fact that the date of 15
June initially announced for the cantonment of ex combatants would not take
place due to lack of financial means. "What means (financial) are we talking
about when we know that the country is divided in two and that the CNO zones are
collecting and keeping billions which could be used to finance the end of the
crisis.  Rather
than enrich the warlords," she said.
She recalled the need to free
the country definitively, so that it can regain its unique and undivided
character.  (...) « They say that Laurent Gbagbo does not want elections but we
know that it is they who do not want to have elections, » she said.   

Tagro's disturbing revelations at FPI conclave: 2/3 of places in the police
exams are reserved for FPI officials.

Le Nouveau Réveil  -

"Finally to avoid the hell that the late Emile Boga Doudou went
through at the Police School, the FPI had apparently decided to set up its own
police force. Every year two thirds of the places in the entrance exams of the
Police School are reserved for members of the management board of the Ivorian
Popular Front which share them out.  It's a scandal – these are shocking and
revolting revelations. Between Thursday night and Friday morning, the big shots
of the FPI who gathered at the home of Affi N`Guessan to try and resolve the
dispute between Mamadou Koulibaly and Désiré Tagro instead partly removed the
veil on their hidden management of the state. And at least we can say that Côte
d`Ivoire is courting a serious danger...

More than six hours were
not enough for members of the FPI secretariat to resolve the Koulibaly-Tagro
contest. But at the end of the meeting on Thursday night everyone promised not
to make any more statements to the press.

(...).

Shocking revelations

(...) On
his arrival at the head of this strategic ministry, Tagro had reportedly decided
to do everything to ensure that the FPI had its own police – that is to say men
recruited by the officials of the party, who will be ready to die for the FPI.
 In this regard, the Interior Minister revealed that for the past three years
the system has been in place – two thirds of the places in the entrance exams
for the police school, have been reserved for the FPI. That is to say that every
year two thirds of the 1000 or 1300 places are blocked in advance for the FPI.
Minister Tagro apparently revealed that these places were not sold but
distributed freely among members of the FPI management.  He reportedly even
cited some of the people involved such as Simone Gbagbo, Affi N`Guessan, Sokoury
Bohui and others to whom a quota is allotted every year. Tagro reportedly also
added in response to Koulibaly, that during the time that president of the
national assembly was using his  budget to swell his bank account, he, as
Interior Minister was using his powers and privileges to strengthen the power
bases of Gbagbo, to recruit people to the FPI. (...)