American Embassy's National Daily Press Review

November 6, 2009

Friday’s news in the Ivorian press still focused on the ongoing electoral process and the Independent Election Commission’s efforts to consolidate the voter list. Dailies also reported the weekly press statement of the United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire. Other prominent articles were on a joint FAO and WFP report on hunger and food security and the Ivorian government’s actions to support AIDS orphans.

1. As the initial date of the presidential poll slated for November 29 is likely to be revised, Notre Heure (a daily close to the opposition) reported that French official Mr. Alain Joyandet noted in a statement made yesterday that France could be in favor of a short delay to lift the remaining hindrances. “Postponing the poll for some days or weeks to address the last technical issues will not be a problem,” the French Secretary of State was reported as saying.

Still on the poll, Mr. Yao N’Dre, the President of the Constitutional Council, noted that conditions to hold elections are not yet met. Speaking on the margin of a meeting with a labor union, Mr. Yao N’Dre underscored that the voter list as well as the disarmament of former combatants is not yet completed. “These operations have to be completed to allow for the elections,” he was reported as saying in the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin. On the issue of the income tax clearance certificate, the President of the Council mentioned that its purpose is not to disqualify candidates. “Candidates are also tax payers,” he added.

2. Some 877,245 people formerly omitted from the voter list will be added. This information was reported by Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition), which noted that this is the result of the additional cross-checking operations initiated by the Independent Election Commission to consolidate the voter list. The information, the paper added, was given yesterday by Mr. Robert Mambe, the President of the Commission, who also stated that the provisional list will be released soon.

In a related story, Le Mandat (a daily close to the opposition) noted that the United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) welcomes the additional cross-checking of registered voters. Reporting the weekly press statement of the UN peace keeping mission, the daily noted that, according to UNOCI Spokesperson Mr. Hamadoum Toure, there are still avenues which can be used to help consolidate the electoral list. Analyzing the operation, he added that there is a certain homogeneity in the distribution of voters who have been traced and those who have not been traced; there is not a geographical concentration of untraceable voters in a particular area. There is no imbalance between the regions in Côte d’Ivoire, he said, adding that cross-checks carried out by UNOCI showed that “people who obtained their substitute birth certificates were taken into account during the voter registration process”. Mr. Hamadoum recommitted the UN to support Ivorians in holding the poll, the paper further added.

3. A recent report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) called on action from world leaders to mitigate the effects of the global financial crisis on hunger and food security. Nuit et Jour (a daily close to the opposition) published parts of the report and reported FAO Director-General Mr. Jacques Diouf’s appeal to defeat hunger. “While the number of hungry people increased, paradoxically resources for agriculture have decreased...The food crisis requires no less attention than the financial crisis for, in addition to its economic, social and ethical ramifications, it has also proven to be a serious threat to world peace and security,” the paper quoted Mr. Diouf as stating.

4. In its bid to elaborate effective strategies to support AIDS orphans, the Ivorian government initiated a series of fact-finding missions in the southeastern town of Aboisso. The information was reported by Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party), which noted that resolutions from the missions were handed over to the Ministry in Charge of Social Affairs. These resolutions, the paper added, emphasize the need to increase awareness campaigns on AIDS and promote capacity-building for local partners in the fight against the disease.