IGIHE

Category: Politics

  • Kenya:Devolution dilemma after TA exit

    {Senators have opposed the government’s plans to create a body to replace the defunct Transition Authority, less than a month after refusing to extend the authority’s term.}

    The proposed body, which will be tax-funded, will take over all the functions, assets and liabilities of the TA.

    TA members left office on March 4 after serving for three years, leaving a load of work to the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee under the Ministry of Public Service and Devolution.

    But it has since emerged that the existing law does not allow the committee to replace it.

    The ministry wants to amend the Intergovernmental Relations Act to form the Intergovernmental Relations Authority to take over from the TA.

    The Intergovernmental Relations (amendment) Bill given the Senate Committee on Devolved Government, chaired by Bomet Senator Wilfred Lesan, last week wants the new authority to take over everything left behind by the TA.

    However, senators have expressed their opposition to the plans. They said it will not make sense to send an established, independent team home then turn around and form a new one to perform similar roles.

    “What you are taking over are residual functions of TA, not all the functions,” said Mombasa Senator Omar Hassan, a member of the House team. “You are proposing a similar authority as the TA.

    “We cannot be in a state of perpetual transition to devolution. We must ensure at some point transition is over and county governments are fully functional.”

    The senators said the technical committee, chaired by former Permanent Secretary Karega Mutahi, should have informed them of the anticipated challenges before the TA was sent home.

    The TA, which was chaired by Kinuthia Wamwangi, pushed for an extension before its term expired, saying it had substantial work pending, but the National Assembly gave them a deaf ear.

    (Read: Transition Authority has until Friday to leave office)

    Senators agreed to a three-year extension but, since the final say lay with the National Assembly, MPs overruled the senators, saying most of the transition work had been done.

    “When we were pushing out TA, I kept asking about the alternatives that we had,” said Senate Majority Whip Beatrice Elachi, a member of the House team. “I told TA, ‘you are leaving but are going to have problems’.

    “Before we consider this Bill, we would like to get a report from the Summit showing us how they planned transition after TA.”

    The Summit is comprises the President, the Deputy President and the Council of Governors.

    Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, who had initially agreed to give the TA one more year, changed his mind last month.

    (Read: Senators to table TA term extension Bill)

    The Transition to Devolved Government Act, which established the TA and outlined most of the authority’s work, expired on the same day as the authority and can therefore not be used by Mr Mutahi’s technical committee.

    “Some of the challenges we have faced is the lack of a legal backing to issue a moratorium on the assets,” said Ms Allyce Esintele, a member of the technical committee.

    However, Devolution PS Mwanamaka Mabruki said they were waiting for a comprehensive report from the defunct authority by April 1 before allocating funds for the new roles.

    Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar addresses the press at his office in Kizingo, Mombasa County, on March 22, 2016.

  • Bernie Sanders beats Hillary Clinton in two states

    {Democratic candidate’s supporters buoyed by wins in Alaska and Washington but rival still holds big delegate lead.}

    US Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders has won nominating contests in Alaska and Washington, chipping away at frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s lead in the race to pick the party’s candidate for the White House.

    Sanders’ wins on Saturday underscored Clinton’s vulnerabilities within her own party, particularly with young voters and liberal activists who have been inspired by her rival’s left-of-centre message. The two Democrats were also competing in Hawaii’s caucuses.

    In an interview with the Associated Press news agency, Sanders cast his performance as part of a Western comeback, saying he expects to close the delegate gap with Clinton as the contest moves to the more liberal northeastern states, including her home state of New York.

    He also said his campaign is increasing its outreach to superdelegates, the party insiders who can pick either candidate, and are overwhelmingly with Clinton.

    “The Deep South is a very conservative part of the country,” he said. “Now that we’re heading into a progressive part of the country, we expect to do much better.”

    He added: “There is a path to victory.” With Clinton far in front, however, it is a difficult path.

    {{Clinton eyes New York}}

    Clinton anticipated the losses. She barely campaigned in the three Western states, making one day of stops in Washington state.

    She is turning her focus to the April 19 contest in New York, seeking to win a large share of the delegates at stake and to avoid the blow of losing to Sanders in a state she represented in the Senate.

    She is trying to lock up an even larger share of delegates in five Northeastern state contests a week later, hoping to deliver a big enough haul to unify the Democratic Party and relegate Sanders to little more than a protest candidate.

    Sanders, who has found some success in the industrial Midwest, wants to leverage his arguments against free-trade and his working class support into an April 5 victory in delegate-rich Wisconsin.

    He also plans to compete fiercely in New York and is pushing for the party to schedule a debate in the state, saying it would be “really absurd” if one did not take place.

    ‘We’re going to win’

    On Saturday, he told more than 8,000 cheering supporters at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, that his campaign has momentum, citing Saturday’s wins that followed recent victories in Utah and Idaho.

    “Don’t let anybody tell you we can’t win the nomination or we can’t win the general election. We’re going to do both of those things.”

    After Sanders’ two wins on Saturday, Clinton held a delegate lead of 1,234 to 956 over Sanders, according to an Associated Press analysis, an advantage that expands to 1,703-985 once the superdelegates are included.

    It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination at the party’s national convention in July in Philadelphia.

    Based on the AP count, Sanders still needs to win more than 57 percent of the remaining delegates from primaries and caucuses to have a majority of those delegates by June’s end.

    His bar is even higher when the party officials are considered. He needs to win more than 67 percent of the remaining delegates overall – from primaries, caucuses and the ranks of uncommitted superdelegates – to prevail.

    Bernie Sanders has some support from young voters and liberal activists who have been inspired by his left-of-centre message

  • Belgium charges three men linked to attacks in Brussels

    {Newspaper says one of the three people charged is believed to be the third fugitive airport bomber.}

    Belgian prosecutors have charged three men with terrorist offences, including a suspect who local media said appeared on security footage with two suicide bombers at Brussels airport shortly before they detonated their bombs.

    Authorities identified the first suspect on Saturday as Faycal C., although Belgian media reported his full name as Faycal Cheffou.

    The newspaper Le Soir reported that he is believed to be the third attacker at the Brussels airport, who has been on the run.

    Prosecutors also alleged that he was the man wearing a hat and a light-coloured jacket in last Tuesday’s airport picture that showed three men pushing baggage trolleys bearing luggage.

    The newspaper said Faycal C. was identified by a taxi driver who drove the attackers to the airport.

    Faycal C. was one of those detained by authorities following raids on Thursday evening in the Schaerbeek and Jette neighbourhoods of Brussels.

    An arrest was also made in France on Thursday, while separate raids were carried out on Friday in Schaerbeek, Forest and Saint-Gilles areas of Brussels.

    Prosecutors said the home of Faycal C. was searched by investigators, but no weapons or explosives were found.

    Prosecutors said they have also charged two other people with participation in the activities of a terrorist group but do not establish a direct link between them and the Brussels attacks.

    The two men were identified as Aboubakar A. and Rabah N. Rabah N. was wanted in connection with a related raid in France this week that authorities said foiled an apparent attack plot.

    In total, nine people have been arrested since Thursday in Belgium and two in Germany.

    Authorities also said that a man arrested on Friday after being shot in the leg at a tram stop in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek was being held for a further 24 hours. He was identified as Abderamane A. and was one of three people arrested on Friday.

    ‘Nail bombs’

    Prosecutors said the main suspects of the Brussels attacks evaded authorities by using an empty building under renovation to assemble the “home-made nail bombs”.

    Officials said there were no nearby neighbours to notice the suspects taking in large quantities of strong-smelling household chemicals, as well as a suitcase of nails, to concot an unstable white explosive powder known as TATP, or triacetone triperoxide.

    Meanwhile, Brussels airport officials said flights would not resume before Tuesday as they assess the damage caused by twin explosions in the terminal earlier this week.

    Authorities have wrapped up their investigation of the crime scene at the airport, and will allow engineers into the building to check its structural safety and information technology systems — and whether any damage can be repaired quickly.

    The Brussels Airport Company said Saturday it is “currently studying a temporary solution to partially resume passenger flights, taking into account the new security measures” decided by the federal government.

    Brussels Airport handles 23.5 million passengers annually. It links Brussels with 226 destinations worldwide and is served by 77 different airlines.

    Suicide bombers hit the Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing 31 people and wounding at least 270 in the worst such attack in Belgian history.

    The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, which claimed responsibility for the Brussels bombings, also took credit for coordinated attacks in Paris in November which killed 130 people.

    On Saturday, organisers of a peace march in Brussels announced its event on Sunday has been postponed, after appeals from officials, who said police are already overstretched, with investigations on the attacks still ongoing.

    The newspaper said Faycal C. was identified by a taxi driver who drove the attackers to the Brussels airport

  • Media blackouts, intimidation and detentions marked 2016 African elections

    {The first quarter of 2016 has seen Africa teeming with intriguing political activities as presidential elections were held in several countries.}

    Unfortunately, most were marked by ruses like detention of opponents, intimidation and widespread malpractices.

    Queries about the legitimacy of outcomes were therefore inevitable, notwithstanding the fact that some countries ended up welcoming fresh leaders.

    In semi-autonomous Zanzibar, Ali Mohammed Shein was sworn in as president on Wednesday. Poignantly, though, he assumed office amid protests, mainly by the opposition Civic United Front, which boycotted the repeat poll.

    In Benin, businessman Patrice Talon — popularly known as “king of cotton” — carried the day in last Sunday’s runoff, beating current Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou.

    Gratefully, Zinsou conceded defeat on the evening of voting day, even before the results were announced.

    The gesture was despite the fact that Zinsou had been touted as President Thomas Boni Yayi’s choice. Yayi leaves office in April after serving two terms.

    In February, the Central African Republic finally welcomed a new leader, Faustin Touadera, a former PM who won the runoff with 63 per cent of the votes. The outcome raised hopes of the country finally emerging from years of chaos.

    Niger was unable to usher in new leadership. Instead, President Mahamadou Issoufou romped home with a whopping 90 per cent of the vote, according to the electoral agency.

    The landslide victory was expected, given that Issoufou was effectively the only candidate.

    Amid an opposition boycott, main challenger Hama Amadou was conveniently away in France for medical treatment following earlier imprisonment on a suspect charge of child trafficking.

    Ironically, though, even with the boycott Amadou won eight per cent of the vote. The opposition rejected the results, citing irregularities.

    Whereas some elections were either runoffs or repeat, Uganda and the Republic of Congo’s veteran presidents carried the day after the first round of controversial polls which were not boycotted by the opposition, as was the case in Zanzibar and Niger.

    {{CONTESTED RESULTS}}

    Still, the outcomes of the polls were seriously contested in the two countries after Yoweri Museveni and Sassou-Ngueso registered wins of more than 60 per cent, putting paid to hopes of new leaders emerging.

    When the chips were down, Sassou-Nguesso was able to extend his 32 years in power, while Museveni, 71, won a fifth term having held power since January 1986.

    The two seem to have found communication blackouts useful during elections.

    Only in Benin were the results received without much ado. The general rule of thumb, so far, seems to be to win polls any way but how.

    Benin leader leader of a coalition of the opposition Patrice Talon waves to supporters during a campaign rally in the Ekpe District near Cotonou. He won the second round of the presidential elections on March 20, 2016.

  • Iran to boost security and trade ties with Pakistan

    {Hassan Rouhani is the first Iranian head of state to visit neighbouring Pakistan in the last 14 years.}

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have vowed to boost cooperation on regional security and trade during talks in Islamabad, the first visit by an Iranian head of state in 14 years.

    Rouhani said he and Sharif had agreed on Friday to fight “extremist and terrorist groups” in their countries’ shared border, as the two leaders announced the opening of two new crossing points to encourage trade long hampered by sanctions.

    “We place emphasis on the need for cooperation between our two countries, on regional security,” Rouhani said, adding that issues related to energy, gas the export of electricity were also discussed.

    Meanwhile, Sharif said he hopes the opening of two new crossings would contribute to “economic integration” in the region, while promoting tourism and “people to people contacts”.

    Pakistan, a majority Sunni country, has traditionally close ties with Saudi Arabia, which is hostile to Iran, a Shia power.

    The kingdom accuses Tehran of supporting Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen against the internationally recognised president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

    Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition of mostly Gulf Arab states in an air-campaign against the Houthis in the conflict, widely seen as a proxy Saudi-Iran war.

    ‘Evolving relationships’

    Last year, Pakistan refused a Saudi request to send troops into Yemen after a vote in Parliament delivered an overwhelming “no.”

    In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mosharraf Zaidi, a former advisor to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, said Rouhani’s visit is “proof positive” that Pakistan cannot maintain a relationship with Saudi and other Gulf countries “at the expense of a useful and functional” ties with Iran.

    Rouhani’s visit is also expected to discuss a controversial gas pipeline from Iran, through Pakistan to India.

    Work has stalled on the Iran-Pakistan section, which was designed to help Pakistan meet its energy needs.

    Iran has invested over $2bn in the project, but Pakistan has yet to finish construction on its half of the pipeline.

    Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said Pakistan needs Iran to supplement its energy needs as its industrial output has hit a “virtual standstill.”

    Washington had for years opposed the project amid concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

    Pakistan has traditionally close ties with Saudi Arabia, which is hostile to its regional rival, Iran

  • Congo leader declared winner amid protests

    {Congo strongman Denis Sassou Nguesso was on Thursday declared the winner of presidential elections, extending his 32 years in power in a vote the opposition says was marked by “massive fraud”.}

    Interior Minister Raymond Zephyrin Mboulou announced the results at 3:30am on national television, saying Sassou Nguesso had secured 60 per cent of the vote in the tense weekend poll held under an ongoing communications blackout.

    The official count gave runner-up Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas 15 per cent of the vote, while General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko came in third with 14 per cent.

    Sassou Nguesso hailed the victory at his campaign headquarters, saying the Congolese people had “taken their destiny into their own hands” and adding that the campaign had produced a “very open” democratic debate in the former French colony.

    Both of his main rivals had already rejected the partial results released on Wednesday, with Mr Kolelas’ spokesman Vivien Manangou saying there had been “massive fraud”.

    Mr Mokoko, who until February was Sassou Nguesso’s security advisor, added: “I knew beforehand that the dice were loaded, but we had agreed to play the game.”

    He called for a recount, saying: “How do you want us to accept such a result?”

    With telephones and the Internet cut off, neither candidate was immediately reachable after the official results were announced.

    CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM

    Oil and timber-rich Congo has been on edge since an October constitutional referendum that ended a two-term limit on presidential mandates, allowing Sassou Nguesso, a 72-year-old former paratrooper colonel, to run for office again.

    Critics accuse him of rampant corruption and nepotism, blasting the referendum result as a “constitutional coup”.

    Authorities imposed a communications blackout during the election to prevent opposition candidates from publishing “illegal results”.

    A government source said they blackout would remain in place until after the official results.

    Sassou Nguesso has ruled Congo for all but five years since 1979, having lived in Paris in exile from 1992 to 1997.

    Most shops in the south of the capital Brazzaville, an opposition stronghold, had stayed shut on Wednesday amid fears of unrest.

    Kolelas’ spokesman Manangou said security forces had stormed the candidate’s campaign offices on Tuesday, hurling tear gas canisters and causing a stampede that left one person dead.

    A French journalist was present but was unable to confirm the death.

    Mokoko and Kolelas, along with the three other opposition candidates, have urged people to “exercise their sovereignty” in the event of a Sassou Nguesso victory.

    They created their own parallel “technical commission” to monitor the vote and compile information from polling stations to compare it to the official results.

    They said they could say “with certainty” that the opposition had beat Sassou Nguesso in the first round and that a second-round election should be held.

    The European Union refused to send election observers to monitor the polls, saying conditions had not been met for a transparent and democratic vote

    The international community has since expressed concern over the fairness of the vote and called for the opposing sides to resolve their differences calmly.

    Newly re-elected Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso addresses a press conference in Brazzaville on March 24, 2016 minutes after the Independent Electoral Commission declared him the winner.

  • Senegal referendum approves shorter presidential terms

    {People in Senegal have voted to cut presidential mandates from seven to five years from 2019, according to the results of Sunday’s referendum.}

    The move comes at a time many African leaders are trying to cling on to power by extending their time in office.

    The electoral commission said 63% had approved the changes proposed by President Macky Sall. Turnout was 38%.

    The opposition have criticised Mr Sall for failing to cut his current tenure – the changes take effect in 2019.

    {{More on this and other African news stories}}

    The leaders of countries such as Burkina Faso, Burundi, and Congo sought to extend their rule last year.

    Such moves have triggered violent protests in Burundi and Congo.

    The new constitution proposes 14 other changes, including:

    Limits the age of presidential candidates to 75 and allows independents to run
    Reaffirms the limit to two presidential terms

    The opposition leader will have a status recognised by the constitution and will enjoy official benefits

    Local councils get more powers

    New rights for citizens – to a healthy environment and over natural resources and land ownership

  • Somalia Prime Minister Sharmarke backs anti-FGM campaign

    {Somalia’s prime minister has publicly backed a campaign to ban female genital mutilation (FGM) in his country.}

    It is currently against the constitution but parliament has not yet passed a bill outlawing the practice.

    Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has joined more than a million others by signing an online petition calling for a comprehensive ban.

    The UN children’s agency, Unicef, estimates that more than 90% of Somali girls undergo FGM.

    It says that it is mainly performed on four to 11-year-olds and can have a long-lasting impact on the girls’ physical and mental health.

    Somali anti-FGM campaigner Ifrah Ahmed told the BBC that she had persuaded Mr Sharmarke to sign the petition organised by online campaign group Avaaz.

    She said that it was a significant move as many people in Somalia do not openly speak about the issue.

    {{Types of FGM}}

    •Clitoridectomy – partial or total removal of the clitoris

    •Excision – removal of the clitoris and inner labia (lips), with or without the outer labia

    •Infibulation – cutting, removing and sewing up the genitalia

    •Any other type of intentional damage to the female genitalia (burning, scraping et cetera)

    Ms Ahmed, who has experienced FGM herself, thought it would help put pressure on the lawmakers to pass the bill.

    She has worked with Somalia’s Women’s Affairs Minister Sahra Samatar in drawing up the draft legislation.

    Ms Samatar told the BBC’s Newsday programme that the prime minister’s action was a “huge boost” to the efforts to get the law passed.

    {{Long way to go}}

    But campaigners acknowledge that it will take more than a law to end the practice.

    Ms Ahmed said that an education campaign, as well as a willingness to enforce the legislation, will be necessary.

    She said that it is widely practised in Somalia as people believe it is a religious requirement and girls who have not undergone it are taunted for not being cut.

    Ifrah Ahmed persuaded the prime minister to sign the petition

  • Donald Trump, Ted Cruz split wins in Arizona and Utah

    {In Democratic race, Hillary Clinton easily takes Arizona primary, while Bernie Sanders win caucuses in Utah and Idaho.}

    Leading Democratic and Republican contenders have split major wins in presidential nominating contests in Arizona and Utah.

    Donald Trump rolled to a victory in the Arizona Republican primary, capitalising on his anti-immigration stance – a position that has long been popular with conservative voters in the state. With the win on Tuesday, Trump takes all of the state’s 58 delegates to the Republican National Convention.

    In the Democratic Arizona primary, Hillary Clinton was projected to easily account for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

    But Sanders flipped the script by beating the former secretary of state in the Utah caucuses. He doubled up by also taking the Idaho caucuses on Tuesday.

    Trump won more than 45 percent of the vote in Arizona, compared to about 21 percent for his main rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

    The billionaire businessman made three trips to Arizona and had the support of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Governor Jan Brewer – a pair of politicians best known for leading immigration crackdowns.

    However, Cruz – like Sanders – looks countered his party’s frontrunner by winning Tuesday’s Utah caucuses.

    Early in the vote count, Cruz was leading with nearly 70 percent of the vote. By winning more than 50 percent, he will carry all of the state’s 40 delegates.

    Clinton padded her delegate lead with her win in Arizona.

    With 75 delegates at stake, Arizona is the biggest prize of the night in the Democratic race.

    Clinton stands to gain more than half of those delegates – at least 40, compared to at least 16 for rival Bernie Sanders. That means she will add to her delegate lead of more than 300. She now has 1,203 to Sanders’ 860.

    By winning the Utah and Idaho caucuses with about 75 percent of the vote, however, Sanders will not suffer too much in the overall count.

    Cruz won the Republicans’ Idaho caucuses earlier this month.

  • Niger’s President Issoufou wins landslide

    {Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou has been re-elected for a second term by a landslide in a controversial run-off vote, official results show.}

    The electoral commission says he received more than 90% of the vote in Sunday’s polls, which the opposition had boycotted.

    Opposition challenger Hama Amadou, who was flown to France last week for emergency medical treatment, took 8%.

    The official turnout figure was 60%, disputed by the opposition.

    The opposition coalition, Copa 2016, puts the turnout at 11%.

    It had already said that it would not accept the result, alleging voter fraud and complaining that its candidate had been unfairly treated.

    Addressing media in the presidential palace, Mr Issoufou called for national unity, which he said was vital in the country’s battle against terrorism, BBC Hausa’s Ishaq Khalid reports from the capital, Niamey.

    During the first round last month, Mr Amadou campaigned from prison.

    He was being held on baby trafficking charges, which he denies, arguing they are politically motivated.

    The opposition boycotted the run-off complaining of unfair treatment of their candidate and have already said that they would not accept the result.

    Niger is seen as an important ally of Western powers in the fight against militant Islamists in the fragile Sahara region.

    The country is rich in natural resources, including uranium and oil, but is one of the world’s poorest countries, ranking last in the UN Human Development Index.

    Mahamadou Issoufou was effectively the only candidate in Sunday's run-off vote