United States Embassy (Abidjan)
9 July 2009
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 voter registration exercise for the upcoming presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire continued to be the major issue in the Ivorian press, today. Reports on the violation of United Nations sanctions by one of the people accused of blocking the peace process; the meeting of the ministers of the Entente Council on regional issues in Yamoussoukro; and President Obama's June 10-11 visit to Ghana, were the other major stories in the dailies. One paper reported on funeral plans for Michael Jackson by the people of Krindjabo, a gold-mining village near Abidjan.
1. In a prominent story, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling FPI party) said that the position taken by some members of the ruling FPI party on the voter registration exercise "threatens" the upcoming presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire. The report said that a few days after the exercise was completed, cadres of the party, including the Speaker of the Parliament [also vice-president of the FPI], are calling for another extension of the voter registration exercise. The paper further noted that Charles Ble Goude, the leader of the Young Patriots [a staunch supporter of President Laurent Gbagbo], adopted a similar stance on the issue during his talk on national TV two days ago. The paper opined that such stance by FPI's supporters is part of what it calls "a vast strategy calculated to delay the peace process."
2. On the same subject, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) said "In a bid to create disorder and delay the elections, the FPI wants to wake up its street dogs." According to the paper, the ruling party was taken by surprise when the Prime Minister and the President of the Independent Electoral Commission announced the end of the voter registration exercise on Tuesday, June 30, 2009. The paper also said that to counter this decision, the FPI is planning to call on the youth in Abidjan to resort to violence to press for another round of registration exercises.
3. A report in L'inter (an independent daily) said that about two million Ivorians are disfranchised as a result of the conclusion of the registration on June 30. The paper said that the program, which was launched in September 2008, was expected to have registered at least 8 million potential voters. The paper further said that the reported number of 6.5 million Ivoirians, registered during the exercise, is below this projection.
4. In a related development, Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily) reported that out of 45,000 Ivoirians living in the United States, 3,700 were registered; this represents only 10 per cent of Ivoirians in the US. The paper also said that in the western region of Man, more than 5,000 people were not registered.
5. Still on matters concerning the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire, Fraternite Matin said that the French Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire Jean-Marc Simon called for the reestablishment of the state authority throughout the country. The French diplomat, who was speaking Wednesday in Abidjan after a meeting with the U.N. Envoy in Cote d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, reportedly said that the electoral process is one of the key elements in the peace process that would lead to the total reunification of the country.
6. A report in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) said that the National Council of Audiovisual Communication (CNCA) - a government watchdog committee - yesterday met with representatives of Ivorian Workers Party (PIT) and the Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire (UDPCI). The meeting was part of a series of consultations initiated by the CNCA to address the issue relating to parties' access to the state broadcasting media.
7. On other issues, L'inter carried a prominent story explaining how Martin Kouakou Fofie, a commander in the New Forces movement - the former rebel movement -, succeeded in bypassing a U.N sanction imposed on him and other two Ivorian political figures. According to the paper, the Sanctions Committee had discovered that the former rebel leader had forged his identity documents to open a bank account in Burkina Faso. [NOTE: Since February 2006, the United Nations Security Council had slapped a travel ban and also froze the assets of three political figures in Cote d'Ivoire, who were accused of hampering efforts to bring peace to the country. Those sanctioned are: Charles Ble Goude and Eugene Djue, leaders of the Young Patriots movement loyal to President Gbagbo, who called supporters onto the streets to demand the departure of U.N. and French peacekeepers. The third person is Martin Kouakou Fofie, who was linked by the Sanctions Committee to human rights violations in the northern city of Korhogo.]
8. On regional issues, a report in Fraternite Matin said that ministers of the Entente Council member countries are meeting in Yamoussoukro in their efforts to revive the dormant regional body. According to the report, the purpose of the meeting is to prepare a Head of States summit, which is scheduled for July 11, 2009. The paper also said that the promotion of solidarity, political consultations, and regional cooperation projects will be high on the agenda. [NOTE: Created on May 29, 1959 the Entente Council is composed of Cote d'Ivoire, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Dahomey (now Benin), Niger, and Togo, which became a member in 1966.]
9. As President Barack Obama is expected tomorrow in Accra, for his maiden visit to the sub-Saharan Africa, Fraternite Matin said the whole of Ghana is "singing Obama's song". According to the report, large billboards with messages: "Welcome President Obama" or "Welcome to Ghana" can be seen everywhere in Ghana. The paper further said that Ghana and the United States have established a tangible bond through many projects, including those via the U.S.-supported Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Nord-Sud Quotidien carried an invitation from american.gov to Africans to send a message to President Obama.
10. Finally Soir Info informed readers that the people of Krindjabo, a small community in the South eastern Cote d'Ivoire, are preparing a traditional funeral for Michael Jackson. The people of Krindjabo, who crowned the king of pop during his visit to Cote d'Ivoire, believe that the late singer belongs to their kinship. (According to media reports, in 1994, at his then Neverland Ranch, Michael Jackson received Etche Elleingand, mayor of Oboisso, who was a representative of the King of Krindjabo.)
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