UNOCI's press
release

Fraternité Matin
 –
The beginning of the campaign is quiet and serene in accordance
with the rules democracy, despite of the usual passion inherent in this kind of
event, said the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General
for Côte d'Ivoire, Y. J. Choi on Monday, 18 October in Abidjan. Speaking after a
working session with the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC),
Youssouf Bakayoko, at the institution's headquarters, Mr. Choi said he had come
to assess the electoral process in order to better coordinate actions to meet
the logistical challenges some two weeks before the holding of the presidential
election. We are satisfied with the resolution of the « major and sensitive
challenge » which is the distribution of the cards, Mr. Choi said. He added that
all the cards have been delivered in all the polling stations, with the
exception of a dozen cards. In the same connection, he announced that UNOCI was
about to start the convoy of electoral documents from Sub-prefectures to polling
stations by the end of the week. (...) UNOCI Head announced the imminent building
of provisional shelters in the 3200 polling stations which were in the open air.

Electoral
process – Choi exchanges views with the US State Department

Le Jour Plus  –
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J.
Choi, received the Director of West African Affairs of the U.S. State
Department, Mary Beth Leonard, in Abidjan on Monday 18 October to discuss the
Ivorian electoral process and logistical challenges. After the meeting, Ms
Leonard told the press she had discussed details of election preparations in
particular the logistical challenges and the post-election period. "On the
latter issue, we have hope and confidence in the Ivorian people, political
actors and everyone involved in election preparation that the poll will go well
and have a good result", she highlighted. (...)

In the polling
booth

Notre Voie  –
If the information published by the Parisian weekly magazine Jeune Afrique, in
edition 2597 from 17 to 23 October 2010 is correct, it is predictable that the
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, the South
Korean, Choi Young Jin goes through the same collapse in the Ivorian peace
process as his predecessor, the Swiss, Pierre Schori. Here is the text by Jeune
Afrique: "(...) In addition to the transportation of the electoral material to
polling stations, the UN officials, who are responsible for the certification of
election results, are preparing many kinds of intervention in the event of
trouble during the holding of the first round on 31 October. UNOCI will mainly
deploy its army and police (10,000 elements) in Abidjan and the west of the
country, the most adversarial regions. It also planning some means of
intervention which will be implemented if the process is blocked – for instance
if the Constitutional Council refuses to confirm the results of the Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC), UNOCI's head, the South Korean, Choi Young Jin, is
especially examining a way of handling possible protests, by using subtle legal
arguments". The information published in article "Confidential" of Jeune Afrique
calls for two fundamental interpretations. First, for UNOCI Head, there is no
doubt that the winner of the presidential election on 31 October will not be the
candidate of the presidential majority, Laurent Gbagbo. Obviously among the 13
candidates, only Bédié and Ouattara find favour with UNOCI. Then for the UN
local representation, Gbagbo will contest the election results. Therefore the
west of the country, one of his stronghold and the Constitutional Council led by
an official of the FPI, his party, will share the same view. UNOCI considers
that the west of the country is a dangerous zone which will be the triggering
point of the blaze.
Consequently UNOCI focuses all its attention on Gbagbo and the
Western region. This erroneous appreciation of the situation by Choi and his
team reminds us of the same mistake committed by the Swede, Pierre Schori, the
former head of UNOCI (2003-2005) who believed that the "the zone of confidence"
should be removed.

       
Crisis-resolution: clash at the Independent Electoral  

        Commission
(IEC)'s headquarters yesterday.

          Soir Info  -
A huge quarrel
broke out on Monday at the IEC's headquarters in Deux Plateaux. The central
commissioners met, in a very electric atmosphere, with the president of the IEC,
Youssouf Bakayoko. Their meeting was about the management of the
presidential election results on October 31, 2010. According to our sources
several central commissioners particularly those who are members of the
opposition were angry with Mr. Bakayoko. They rose against the decision of the
IEC's Chairman and one of his special counselors to entrust SILS Technologies
with the management of the presidential election results. This company is a
branch of the National office for technical studies and development (BNET). This
contract will cost 3 billions CFA our sources said. These central commissioners
were strongly criticized their president's action because according to them,
this kind of decision were always taken during the meeting of the central
commission.  

Brawl during withdrawal of
electoral documents: Gouro and Malinké fight in Sinfra

Notre Voie  -
(...) Two groups of young
men from the Malinké and Gouro's communities fought at Djamadji suburb in Sinfra
last Sunday... according to some sources the confrontation started in front of the
electoral office where the constituents came to take their identity and
electoral cards. The dispute began when a militant of FPI, Boli Bi Touvoli
complained about his place taken by a young Malinké, militant of RDR. Touvoli
according to some witnesses was beaten by him spreading therefore anger among
Gouro and Malinké which finally led to a fight between the two communities...

Electoral campaign: Gbagbo,
Ado, Bédié... their posters destroyed

Nord Sud  –
Freedom of expression through
posters are not a reality everywhere. The posters of the candidates are torn
without any exception. This poses the problem of security during this period of
electoral campaign.

           Bamba Yacouba,
spokesman of the IEC: "The security and defense forces must

           react »

Nord-Sud: Do you not think
that the IEC must protect these posters?

          Bamba Yacouba: 
Do you want
the IEC to place a policeman front of each poster? We are

not even able to have
policeman in front of a polling office. The populations must ask those   who
tear the posters to stop doing it. Everybody must take his responsibility before
during and after the elections. I think the security and defense forces must
react.