United States Embassy (Abidjan)
13 November 2008
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Ivorian daily newspapers continued speculating on the impacts of the postponed presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire. The demand of the resignation of the State prosecutor by striking lawyers was also a subject of front-page stories. Relationship between Cote d'Ivoire and France; regional efforts to curb the proliferation of light weapons and campaign against the avian flu were the other major news stories in today's press. On US and other world issues, Fraternite Matin published a two-page analysis on the election of Senator Barack Obama by the Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, who talked about the lessons to be learned from this election. The paper also reported on the US support of $44.4 million for an anti-avian flu campaign.
1. Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition): A prominent story in this paper suggested that the decision by the CPC - a committee overseeing the Ouagadougou Political Agreement - to postpone the presidential election initially billed for 30 November 2008 in Cote d'Ivoire has prompted skepticism amongst the political parties. The paper quoted Mr. Francis Wodie leader of PIT - Ivorian Workers Party - as saying that "the delay of the polls should not exceed four months. Otherwise they [the government] would have demonstrated their incapacity to resolve the crisis."
2. In a related development, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) predicted that financial problems would hold back the electoral process. According to the paper, the plan to organize the presidential elections hangs in the balance, because in addition to financial resources that the government would need to finance the electoral process, the Minister of Finance would have to keep the government's promises to workers regarding the increase of their salaries as from the year 2009.
3. The delay of the presidential elections was also the major media topic, particularly on President Laurent Gbagbo's address at a recent political rally. According Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily), President Gbagbo called on Ivorians to exercise patience and to give time to the Independent Electoral Commission to complete the voter registration exercise. "It's better to fully complete the task so as not to go through another war," the paper quoted the Ivorian leader as saying.
4. Regarding the voters' registration in the run-up to the presidential elections, a story in Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) said that about one million potential voters have been enrolled since the beginning of this exercise. This announcement, the paper said, was made yesterday by the Prime Minister's cabinet. The paper quoted a public statement issued by the government as saying: "This result was obtained following measures that have been taken aimed at boosting the electoral process in response to problems that occurred at the beginning of the voter registration in Abidjan."
5. L'inter (an independent daily): A prominent story in this paper said that the standoff opposing the State prosecutor and striking lawyers, who are calling for his resignation, is yet to be over. The report said the lawyers organized a sit-in strike at the Abidjan Court House on Wednesday. The purpose of this strike is to protest what the lawyers call "the violation of the right and dignity of a sitting lawyer by the Prosecutor." A front-page story in Soir Info (an independent daily) said that proceedings at the court have been brought to a standstill as a result of the strike.
6. Another report in Fraternite Matin said that Ivorian lawmakers yesterday passed a bill interdicting light weapons. The bill the report said would allow the President of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire to ratify a Convention signed by West African States on light weapons in July 2005 in Cotonou, Benin.
7. On other issues, Fraternite Matin reported on the bilateral relationship between Cote d'Ivoire and France. According to the paper, the French Development Agency (AFD), which has reopened its offices in Abidjan, is to finance projects in the Ivorian private sectors.
MEDIA REACTION TO U.S. AND OTHER WORLD ISSUES
1. Fraternite Matin prominently published President Laurent Gbagbo's analysis of the impacts and lessons of the election of Senator Barack Obama as the first Black American President in the United States of America. In a two-page analysis, the Ivorian President said that "in a country that went through the slavery, racial segregation and struggle for civil rights, the election of this man is not only a food of taught, but it also confirms the power of the democratic ideal." Through this "historic" election, the commentary said: "The people of the United States have sent a strong message to the rest of the world." The first lesson of the "symbolic" election of Barack Obama was that this election is "the accomplishment of the struggle for black emancipation and civil rights in America." President Gbagbo went on to state that for the African continent, the outcome of this election was evidence that "the struggle for any just cause is never done in vain." The second lesson to draw from this election, President Gbagbo said, came from the Republican candidate John McCain. The commentator emphasized Senator McCain's message after defeat in which "not only he recognized his own responsibility in his party's crush," but also used the occasion to underscore "the historic impact of the victory of his opponent." Gbagbo described Mr. McCain's speech as a testimony of "the generosity of spirit, admirable lesson of political ethics and a sign of a strong democracy."
2. Another story in Fraternite Matin said that the United States is to finance an anti-avian flu campaign at the tune of $44.4 million. According to the paper, this was announced by the World Food Organization (WFO) which said that this contribution has brought the United States' financial support to $112.8 million and making this country the largest fund provider to this program.
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