United States Embassy (Abidjan)
17 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.
The Ivorian newspapers today announced that the voter registration exercise will begin November 18 in Bouake, the stronghold of the New Forces - the former rebel movement. Pro-government and opposition dailies devoted large columns on the pre-electoral campaigns organized over the weekend by President Laurent Gbagbo and leaders of principal opposition parties. An international conference on mining and energy resources due to open today in Yamoussoukro; measures being put in place by the government to speed up revenues collection in the former New Forces-controlled zones; the state of the media in Cote d'Ivoire; and a road accident killing about 67 people were the major news items.
1. Le Jour Plus (a daily close to the opposition) prominently announced that the voter registration exercise is scheduled to begin on November 18, 2008 in Bouake. The paper also published a press statement issued by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) saying that in respect of recommendations made during the 11th November meeting of the CPC - the body overseeing the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement - the electoral body is reviewing the time-table for the identification and voter registration operations in accordance with the current situation.
2. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily) reported that the current political situation in Cote d'Ivoire was the major issue during a rally addressed by President Laurent Gbagbo over the weekend in the department of Yamoussoukro. President Gbagbo reportedly said that "after the war, Ivorians must fight against the culture of lying that has become a cancer in the Ivorian society."
3. Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party): The paper quoted the Ivorian former President Henri Konan as saying that his party, "PDCI-RDA is the only party that can resolve the political impasse facing Cote d'Ivoire." Speaking over the weekend during a religious ceremony, reported the paper, Mr. Bedie criticized the ruling FPI party saying that "the party made some promises that turned to be a hoax." "Those who thought that ruling a country was easy have done anything to promote the country's agricultural sector," Bedie was quoted as telling the gathering during the ceremony.
4. Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party): With a picture of Alassane Dramane Ouattara in its front-page, the paper quoted the leader of the RDR as saying that his party will win the coming general elections in Cote d'Ivoire. According to the paper, Mr. Ouattara was speaking during a rally held November 15 in Abidjan. The paper said that like Martin Luther King and his comrades in their struggle for Black emancipation, the Ivorian opposition figure's slogan during the gathering was "Yes, we'll win." The paper went on to note that "just like the United States of America, Cote d'Ivoire, for the past eight years, has been calling for a change." In a banner headline on its front-page, L'intelligent d'Abidjan (an independent daily) quoted the leader of the RDR party telling his supporters that "I'll win like Obama."
5. On media-related issues, Fraternite Matin informed reporters that Ivorian journalists and other members of the media sector have created a new association. The union is named - Union des Professionnels des Medias de Cote d'Ivoire (UPMCI) According to the paper. The founders of this union said the aim was to live up to the development challenges facing the media in Cote d'Ivoire. In a related-development, L'inter (an independent daily) said that a committee of journalists is calling for the release of their colleague, Asse Alafe, who was convicted a couple of weeks ago by a tribunal in Abidjan. Mr. Alafe, who is Director and Publisher of the L'intelligent d'Abidjan (an independent daily), was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after the court found him guilty of forgery of Ivorian Identity documents. According to the prosecution, though both of Mr. Alafe's parents are nationals of Nigeria, the journalist claimed he was an Ivorian. [Mr. Alafe is the vice-president of Union Nationale des Journalistes de Cote d'Ivoire (Cote d'Ivoire national journalist Association).]
6. A report in Fraternite Matin said that a West-African conference on mining and power resources began today in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire's political capital. According to the paper, discussions during the 4-day meeting will focus on how to use mining and energy as engines to foster peace, growth and development in the sub-region. The summit will bring together 39 African countries, said the paper. Delegates from Europe, Russia, North America, Brasilia, China, Japan, India, Korea, Middle East and Australia are also expected to attend this summit.
7. Another report in Fraternite Matin said that the New Forces and the Ministry of Economy are working on a final document on measures to be taken by the government in order to collect revenues in the former New Forces-controlled zones.
8. L'inter: A prominent story in this paper said that 67 people were killed in a road accident on November 16 in neighboring Burkina Faso. According to the paper, three Ivorians were among the victims; sources close to the investigation said that the bus, which had 75 seats was overloaded, carrying 92 passengers.
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