Electoral
process / Security arrangement for elections: UNOCI trains Ivorian gendarmes

L'Intelligent
d'Abidjan  –
Some thirty Ivorian gendarmes are participating in a training
course on the techniques of  maintenance of law and order during the  electoral
period, organized by the UN police (UNPOL). The training started on Monday 23
August at the headquarters of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
(UNOCI) in Abidjan. According to the deputy Chief of the UN police, General
Sylvestre Kibeceri, the training programme follows a request from authorities of
the Ivorian gendarmerie [...] for UN assistance  in the organization of elections.
"The training session is aimed at reinforcing the capacity of our partners of
the Ivorian police and gendarmerie", said General Kibeceri at the opening
ceremony of the seminar. [...] On behalf of his colleagues, Captain Ange Nouko of
the national gendarmerie said the participants were happy to attend the seminar.
"Although we have been well-trained, we are happy because we know that here we
will be better trained on the international norms of security which are very
useful in this electoral period", he said. [...] The three-week training session
is due to teach various modules such as the respect of e professional ethics,
protection and security arrangements for elections, the role of the police and
gendarmerie regarding the electoral process and violence against women and
girls.

Presidential
election of 31 October 2010: Donation of 9 billion FCFA to Côte d'Ivoire – the
international community sets a trap for Gbagbo

Soir Info  –

The international community, involved in the Ivorian electoral
process has decided to give its financial contribution to Côte d'Ivoire so that
the date of 31 October scheduled for the first round of the presidential
election is respected. In this regard, a major step has been made with the
donation of more than 9 billion FCFA to the country. The ball is now in the
court of the State of Côte d'Ivoire represented by the Head of State, Laurent
Gbagbo. He should show his willingness to go for elections by "taking money from
the State treasury" to face up to his responsibilities. If the date is not
respected once more, only the Head of State will be held responsible for the
failure. This is why some observers consider that the donation of 9 billion as a
trap set by the international community for the Head of State to make him
responsible for any failure if the date is not respected one more time; About 14
millions Euros which corresponds to more than 9 billion FCFA. "This is the
amount the international community has just donated to finance the electoral
process" said the new Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations
Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Ndolamb Ngokwey, who took  office in Côte
d'Ivoire on 2 August 2010. In an interview with ONUCI FM, he said that "with the
political decision regarding the upcoming elections, it would  be possible to
mobilize  more resources". [...]

To respect the
date scheduled for election, the Assessment and Support Committee (ASC) of the
Ouagadougou Political Agreement (OPA) proposes: "The Independent Electoral
Commission (IEC) must be put aside"

Nord Sud  –
The ability of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to organize the first
round of presidential election on 31 October is seriously questioned by the
Assessment and Support Committee of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement which
suggests an alternative plan. [...] To anticipate a foreseeable failure of the
IEC, this institution involving the representatives of both signatories of the
OPA, the observers representing the six other signatories of the Linas
Marcoussis Agreement and representatives of the international community are
considering an alternative plan. The committee will propose to the signatories
of the OPA and the Facilitator of the inter-Ivorian direct dialogue, Blaise
Compaoré, the negotiation of a new agreement (number 5) to the OPA. This
agreement will remove the electoral operation on the ground from the IEC. The
executive tasks will therefore be entrusted to an ad hoc body comprising 8 or 10
experts. [...] The IEC will be content with supervising the process. [...]

Electoral
Process/ Distribution of national identity cards- the commissioners of the
National Commission for the Supervision of Identification (CNSI)
are threatening to impede the process.

L'Intelligent
d'Abidjan  –
The local commissioners of the National Commission for the Supervision of
Identification (CNSI) of Abidjan are not very happy. They reproach the president
of this institution, Yua Koffi for not paying their allowances. They have
decided to express on Wednesday, August 25, their anger through a sit-in at the
headquarters of the CNSI at Riviera. According to the spokesman of the
association of the commissioners in Abidjan, Kesse Michel, if the Ivorian
authorities refuse to listen to them, they will block the electoral process by
impeding the distribution of the National Identity and electoral cards. "When we
hear Yua Koffi talking about financial difficulties, we want to know what he
means exactly. We want to meet with him so that he explains to us what is going
wrong." He said

Electoral
appeals: RDR militants protest against the removal of two names from the
electoral list in Abengourou.

Agence
ivoirienne de Presse (AIP) -
Abengourou,
August 23 (AIP) – People claiming to be activists of the Rally of Republicans
(RDR opposition) rioted on Monday in Abengourou to protest against the removal
by the court, of the names of two persons from the provisional electoral list.
Accused of fraud by the militants of the  Ivorian Popular Front (FPI),  many
people considered close to the RDR, should appear before the court to prove
their Ivorian identity so that their names can be retained on the provisional
electoral list. At the end of the hearings, the court ordered the removal of the
names of two people, namely John and Nouf Sié Kouassi. To express their anger,
several protesters demonstrated noisily, burning tires on the highway. They were
protesting against the fact that two people have been unlisted by Judge Philippe
Kouamé, on the basis of testimony from accusers who were unable to provide a
single evidence to suport their claim. A person suspected of being close to the
FPI, was injured. The motorcycle of another person was burned by protesters.

State Security:
Threat of coup d'état against Côte d'Ivoire - They want to kill Gbagbo two
months before the elections

Le Quotidien  -

After the statements of the Minister of Defense and that of the
former Chief of Staff of the FANCI in exile, the fear  of coup d'état has
overcome the  Ivorian people. The fear of a nasty coup is spreading more and
more. [...] Who wants to kill the Ivorian president? It is unnecessary to seek
for the answer to this question. For those who feel guilty are showing
themselves. They have even accused the party of the Head of State of plotting
against the country. [...] But it is important to know why they want to destroy
the peaceful resolution of the crisis just two months before the presidential
election. [...].