Tamba Jean-Matthew
17 September 2009
Nairobi — Cote d'Ivoire's belated presidential election has suffered another significant setback with the failure this week by the Independent Electoral Commission to publish a provisional voter register.
The commission attributed the problem to "circumstances beyond its control".
Nearly two years ago, the electoral body and French security company Sagem were accredited to proceed with the identification and counting of the Ivorian electorate.
They were also mandated to publish a voter register that would culminate in a presidential poll on November 29.
Debates among the political class over the nationality of many Ivorians, particularly those in the north along the border with Burkina Faso, prompted the need for identification of Ivorian voters.
The issues of the identification and setting up a voter register have been contentious since the death of President Felix Houphouet-Boigny in the mid 1990s.
Since 2006, at the end of President Laurent Bagbo's first term, presidential elections have been postponed several times.
For many, the hope to see the end to the decade-long and scathing political stalemate has again been shattered, even though the government argues that nothing is still lost.
Since Tuesday however, some politically savvy Ivorian government officials and opposition groups have been attending a workshop on the theme: "The dysfunction in the execution of the agenda and the setting up of an operational mode".Solutions
Citizens concerned with the country's political future have been attending the workshop held in Cocody III in the outskirts of Abidjan.
Among other things, the workshop is intended to diagnose the ills of the electoral system with the view to mapping out concrete solutions to lead a way forward.
A final communiqué from the workshop is expected to be sent to the government and all concerned parties.
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The present administration in the Ivory Coast has connection to do with the failure of the election body to publish the list of voters. The administration finds this as a workable means to steal the election this coming Novernber because the issue about the people in the North should have been the first on the election commission list when they took office. They are bringing this issue at the darkier moment of this contest because the administration wants to capitalize on it to create confused and scare Ivorians with foreigners involvement in the election.
Why is it that the administration is not complaining of people from Ghana, Liberia, Guinea etc? Will there not be influence from these nations? If Gbagbo is a truth leader as he wants Ivorians to believe, he should withhold the salary of the commission members until the job of completing the voter registration is completed and published for Ivorians to see before the election. He will only avoid doing this because the commission is in his interest.
Gbagbo and his surrounding figures continous to take Ivorians for a ride since they are afraid to open their mouths on issues that will free them. It will be in the best interset of the people of Ivory Coast if the voters list is published before the election because there will be no ghost baillets in the boxes during the election. Right now the administration will fool Ivorains because they are in a hurry to see new administration and are not observing these technical areas at this time. How will you go to electtion if you do not believe the listing of voters in the North? Will you agree with the result if you lost? Will that be a problem later since there is no problem now? It will be better for Ivorains to speak out now until it is not late.
Gbagbo, please be the leader that you boost off when Houphouet was living...give Ivorians a free and fair election. You have been in that seat for a long period now and Ivorians continued to suffer. You know before than when Hpuphouet was in power, Ivorians were always happy people. Right now, their happiness has all washed in the Ivorian soil. They need another leader that will make them smile again. You are my brother from the WEST but I want to tell you that you have failed miserably.... You now need to save the faces of the people in the west. Leadership is not for you!!!
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