UNOCI trains
civil society of San Pedro

Nord Sud  –

The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) on 31
August organized a training workshop on "Gender and elections", for its staff
members and the actors of the civil society in San Pedro. The workshop was aimed
at teaching the legal instruments favouring women's interests, the
responsibility of actors involved in elections and  information related to the 
electoral appeals process, as well as women's role in the promotion of a
peaceful electoral environment.

 

Financing of
crisis-resolution process: 16 billion Fcfa handed over yesterday; here is the
timetable for disbursement by the Treasury until October 

Le Patriote  –

[...] Yesterday, at the 20^th floor of the building named
Sciam, the Minister of  Economy and Finance, Charles Koffi Diby, reassured the
Ivorian population regarding the upcoming elections. "We are going through a
crucial phase. We decided to do everything so that the crisis-resolution
operation does not lack financing and have cash flow problems", said Minister
Diby. He even disclosed that a special account has been opened in order to
separate the budget for the crisis-resolution from any pressure until November
2010. The minister also gave the timetable for the disbursement to allow the
manager of the crisis-resolution to feel at ease. In this regard, the Treasury
has since yesterday released 16 billion Fcfa. This institution will hand over 10
billion Fcfa on 10 September; 14 billion Fcfa on 20 September; 10 billion Fcfa
on 1^st October and 4 billion Fcfa on 10 October. The total amount is
54 billion Fcfa. "The State would have played its part through the Treasury",
said the Minister of the Economy and Finance. In fact, this is the amount the
State of Côte d'Ivoire should pay to complete its share of the financing
operation. Since the donors will play their part, the elections will not lack
financing. But in the event of lack of development partners, the Minister said:
"We will meet the expenses!" For the cantonment operation, the Treasury has
already released 1.5 billion Fcfa. 

 

Electoral
materials handed over to the IEC / Yoshifumi Okamura, Japanese ambassador to
Côte d'Ivoire: "Conditions are favourable for the holding of elections on 31
October"

L'Intelligent
d'Abidjan  –
[...] 25,000 transparent ballots boxes, 800,000 seals, 60,000 polling booths,
50,000 kits for polling stations and 50,000 pots of indelible ink. This is the
donation valued at 3.7 billion which was handed over to the IEC by the Japanese
embassy. His Excellency Yoshifumi Okamura explained that his country, through
this gesture, wants to give Côte d'Ivoire the opportunity to reestablish
democracy. He also expressed his disappointment regarding the previous
postponements of elections. "The voters list is almost completed. Preparations
are on a good footing. Last week, I attended the cantonment ceremony for the
Volunteers of the New Army in Bouaké. Disarmament and reunification are also
going forward. The Ivorian political actors are honouring their commitments. I
am very glad to see that conditions are favourable for the holding of
presidential elections on 31 October », he said. He also added that the
releasing of 3.7 billion was approved in March 2008 and is part of the Basket
Fund. [...]

 

Elections media
coverage – Journalists receive a guidebook

Le Nouveau
Réveil  –
The guidebook for the media coverage of elections in Côte d'Ivoire  was handed
over to  journalists at the Abidjan district town hall. In the presence of the
Speaker of  Parliament, Professor Mamadou Koulibaly, and diplomatic
representations, the Chairman of the CNCA, Franck Anderson Kouassi, the
recipients' spokesperson, Denis Kah Zion and the Minister of Communication,
Ibrahim Sy Savané, as they took turns to call for the application of the
guidelines in the manual. [...]

 

Denis Kah Zion,
the President of the Association of Newspaper Publishers of Cote d'Ivoire
(GEPCI), on behalf of the recipients of the guidebook said: "as soon as the
means of production are given and the conditions of security provided, the
results expected from newsmen will easily flow"

 

Le Nouveau
Réveil  –
Denis Kah Zion (President of the GEPCI on behalf of recipients of the Guide)
said that "what we must remember this day is that the Ivorian authorities,
through their various agencies such as the National Press Council (NPC), the
National Council of Audiovisual Communication (CNCA) and the Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC), have prescribed the MMR formula to  Ivorian
journalists ( MMR, an acronym which means: Mission, Means, Results.) The mission
is known by all: it is the coverage of the elections in a totally peaceful
atmosphere promoted by peaceful tone of written and audio reports and images.
Reporters are asked to be dispassionate with their pens and microphones.
Regarding this mission, I make a commitment here that the newsmen will
accomplish it. The means to support this mission should simply follow. The means
are, for example: a) the guide which must be widely distributed to every
pressroom in the country; b) The access of all professional media to all sorts
of information on the electoral process without discrimination, I was going to
say, without exception and without exclusion; c) Security for journalists to be
accredited in large numbers; their security, especially in the vicinity of
polling stations; d) the security of our newspaper companies;  the production
sites of our media that more often have to undergo  attacks that are never
punished e)  it is also a question, finally, to fulfill a promise made by Prime
Minister Guillaume Soro, in January 2008, during a ceremony at the Golf Hotel
with journalists. As matter of fact, the government promised to provide enough
financial support to Ivorian media for a good coverage of elections.

 

The question of
identity resurfaces - civil society alerts the population.

 

L'Inter  The
Coalition of the Civil Society for Peace and the Democratic Development of Cote
d'Ivoire (COSOPCI) issued a warning on  Wednesday, September, 1 2010, in a
statement,a copy of whcich was sent to us. According to the coordinator of that
association, Traoré Wodjo Fini, they have noticed that numerous cases of names
removal from the electoral list were rejected because they were not sustained by
any evidence. At the Court of Plateau for example, 13,759 requests for
cancellation were rejected while in Divo, the Court removed the names of 1230
petitioners from the list. The identity issue has resurfaced in the electoral
process," the coordinator of the COSOPCI said. He brought to Ivorians' attention
that  nationality was the link between a person and a country and was not
necessarily related to the origin. "Moreover, we find that some political
leaders, by their tendentious statements could jeopardize the already fragile
social peace and the electoral process in progress" He said.

 

Convened by the
Minister of Defense - Anaky ignores the summons of Amani N'Guessan

 

L'Inter  –The
president of the Movement of  Forces of the Future (MFA) Innocent Anaky Kobena,
did not respond to a summons issued by  the investigation Brigade of  the
Gendarmerie. He was summoned by the Minister of Defense, Michel Amani N'Guessan.
He said that a Minister has no right to hear a Member of the Parliament without
the permission of the National Assembly.

 

 

 

 

Convened by the
Minister of Defense, Yesterday/Pr Alphonse Djédjé Mady (president of the
directorate of the Rhdp): "there is obviously a violation of the law" –

 

Le Nouveau
Réveil  –
[...] The Rally of the Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP)
reaffirms with force its firm desire to go to the presidential election on
October, 31 2010 and to conquer  state  power in a very legal peaceful and
democratic way. The RHDP condemns the unnecessarily provocative attitude of the
Minister of Defense and the clan of the Head of State and protests against those
repeated abuses intended to delay the evolution of the normal electoral process.
The RHDP condemns the repeated flagrant violations of the rights of man since
2000 by the FPI and its supporters, who are to be blamed for the critical
situation our country is facing.

 

Charles Blé
Goudé - «If Gbagbo falls, I fall»

 

L'Expression  –
[...]Charles Blé Goudé and Bertin Kouadio Konan (KKB), walking hand in hand to the
rhythm of songs by members of  Fesci in the courtyard of the students' halls of 
residence in Abobo I. The scene has forced members of the FESCI of this
university residential area to bury the differences between them and student
activists of the PDCI. [...] The leader of COJEP stepped on the podium and
delivered his vision of Côte d'Ivoire for the next 50 years. He said that every
young Ivorian must peacefully enjoy the right to speak and in any place, instead
of spending all our time creating our misfortunes. "KKB and I have different
political visions. [...] If Gbagbo falls, I fall. I am a man of conviction.
[...] I admire KKB for his loyalty to Henri Konan Bédié. [...] I hope that the
upcoming elections will be fought on the basis of ideas and records of
achievement, not physical combat.