IGIHE

Category: Politics

  • President Kabila names new DRC government despite agreement for elections

    {The president’s list followed last month’s naming of a former opposition leader as his prime minister. The move seems at variance with his commitment to hold elections before year-end.}

    President Joseph Kabila kept the same people from his previous government in charge of key ministries, including foreign affairs, interior, justice and mines.

    In an agreement signed with the opposition last December, Kabila was allowed to stay in power beyond the end of his term that month, so long as he held elections before the end of 2017.

    In response to Tuesday’s announcement, the main opposition bloc immediately called on Kabila to name a government that respected that December agreement. “This government is illegitimate and we don’t recognise it,” Martin Fayulu, president of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development (ECIDE) party, told Reuters. “There is no other roadmap besides the accord,” he said. “If the accord is dead, Kabila has to leave,” Fayulu added.

    {{A premier named instead of election day?}}

    Last month Kabila named Bruno Tshibala, a former member of the country’s largest opposition party, as his new prime minister. In March, talks with the opposition had broken down when Kabila refused to confirm the bloc’s choice for prime minister.

    Last year, there were violent protests over the agreement for the election delay and security forces killed dozens of people. There are concerns that the DRC could slip back into the civil wars of 20 years ago which left hundreds of thousands dead.

    Kabila has been president of the DRC since January 2001 when he took over 10 days after his father, President Laurent Kabila was shot dead by one of his teenage bodyguards. Kabila won elections in 2006 and 2011 and his term was due to expire last December but in September, electoral authorities announced elections would not be held until early 2018.

    Rival militias with varying loyalties have been active for decades, particularly in the mineral-rich east of the country, but there has been increasing violence in the Kasai region in central Congo in recent months.

    Rein Paulsen, who heads operations in the DRC for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Monday there had been a sharp increase in the number of civilians displaced by fighting over the last 15 months, to a total of 3.7 million. Nearly 1.9 million children under five years of age are severely malnourished in the DRC, Paulsen said.

    Two UN researchers and their Congolese interpreter went missing in March when they were looking into recent large-scale violence and alleged human rights violations by the Congolese army and local militia groups. Their bodies were found two weeks later in Kasai-Central province.

    The UN has almost 19,000 troops deployed in Congo, its largest and costliest peacekeeping mission.

    The DRC is a major source of minerals, including diamonds, gold, cobalt, zinc and tin, especially in the east where they are extracted in small mines, many of them under the control of armed groups.

    Source:DW

  • Emmanuel Macron: French president-elect to fight ‘forces of division’

    {Emmanuel Macron has vowed to fight “the forces of division that undermine France” after easily winning the run-off election for the French presidency.}

    The centrist candidate, 39, defeated the far right’s Marine Le Pen, winning 66.06% of the vote to her 33.94%.

    Acknowledging his victory, Mr Macron told supporters he wanted to ensure Le Pen voters “no longer have a reason to vote for an extremist position”.

    There has been a palpable sense of relief among European leaders.

    Mr Macron was elected on a passionately pro-European Union platform, while Ms Le Pen by contrast threatened to pull out of the single currency and hold an in/out referendum on France’s membership of the EU.

    {{What did Mr Macron say?}}

    In a speech to jubilant supporters, Mr Macron said: “Tonight you won, France won. Everyone told us it was impossible, but they don’t know France.”

    At 39, he is France’s youngest president. His win overturns the decades-long dominance of France’s two main political parties.

    But huge challenges remain, with a third of the electorate choosing Ms Le Pen and even more abstaining or casting a blank ballot.

    Mr Macron said he had heard “the rage, anxiety and doubt that a lot of you have expressed”, vowing to spend his five years in office “fighting the forces of division that undermine France”.

    {{Where does this leave Ms Le Pen?}}

    Ms Le Pen won almost double the tally her father Jean-Marie won in 2002, the last time a far right candidate made the French presidential run-off.

    Although she performed worse than final polls had indicated, her anti-globalisation, anti-immigrant, high-spending manifesto attracted an estimated 11 million votes.

    She said the election had shown a division between “patriots and globalists” and called for the emergence of a new political force.

    Ms Le Pen said her National Front party needed to renew itself and that she would start the “deep transformation of our movement”, vowing to lead it into parliamentary elections next month.

    {{What has the international reaction been?}}

    Most of those running the EU were breathing a sigh of relief, given Ms Le Pen’s policies and last year’s Brexit vote.

    European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted: “Happy that the French chose a European future.”

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel tweeted her congratulations, saying Mr Macron’s win was a “victory for a strong united Europe”.

    US President Donald Trump, who has previously praised Ms Le Pen, tweeted his congratulations to Mr Macron for the “big win” and said he looked forward to working with him.

    Emmanuel Macron has won the presidency. He now needs to win over the French people.

    Many of those who voted for him did so to stop Marine Le Pen. They remain to be convinced by his political programme, unlike Brussels, which is delighted.

    EU leaders believe Marine Le Pen’s defeat is a strong sign that Eurosceptic nationalism is now ebbing.

    But while far right populists have been defeated in Austria, the Netherlands and France, the barbed issues that drove voters to them – unemployment, immigration and fear of globalisation – remain to be resolved.

    France’s deep political divisions will become evident once again in the lead-up to parliamentary elections.

    The question remains: Will Emmanuel Macron, inexperienced in politics and with his fledgling party be able to form the credible government needed to pass the reforms he promises?

    {{What challenges lie ahead for Mr Macron?}}

    With parliamentary elections in June, he will be campaigning on behalf of his new movement En Marche to get the seats he needs to pursue his legislative agenda.

    The grouping, founded just over a year ago, does not yet have a presence in parliament. If he cannot gain a majority he may have to form a coalition.

    His campaign pledges included a 120,000 reduction in public-sector jobs, a cut in public spending by €60bn (£50bn; $65bn), and a lowering of the unemployment rate to below 7%.

    He vowed to ease labour laws and give new protections to the self-employed.

    Mr Macron made pro-Europeanism a central feature of his campaign

    Source:BBC

  • Burundi politicians’ opinions diverge on constitution amendment

    {On 15 March, the Burundian president signed a decree on the mandate, the composition, and the functioning of the National Commission in charge of proposing the amendment to the Burundian Constitution. Some politicians say it is not a propitious time to change it.}

    The duration of the commission in charge of proposing the amendment of the Constitution is six months starting from the date of the signing of the decree. The commission is composed of 15 members appointed by the presidential decree. They are selected from ten groups, including a representative of the Presidential office, a representative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, one from the Ministry of Justice, three members of political parties having seats in parliament and independent political actors, three representatives of religious denominations, one from the civil society, one from the national women’s forum, one from the national youth conference and another one from Batwa ethnic group.

    Jean de Dieu Mutabazi, Leader of the Union of Democrats for Development in Burundi (RADEBU), says the current constitution resulted from the Arusha Peace Agreement signed in 2000 to end a civil war that lasted for a decade. He claims that RADEBU members agreed that the constitution should be amended and adapted to the current socio-economic and political context.

    He says some articles of the Burundian constitution are not in harmony with those of other countries of East African Community (EAC) of which Burundi is a member, hence the need for the change of these articles for an effective integration of Burundi within the EAC. For Mutabazi, the articles related to ethnic quota should be revised. He also says it was the will of the Burundian people to amend the constitution. “This is the recommendation of the inter-Burundi dialogue sessions organized in various communes of country under the auspices of the National Independent Commission for Inter-Burundian Dialogue (CNDI),”Mutabazi says.

    {{It is not an appropriate time to amend the Constitution}}

    Tatien Sibomana, a political actor, says it is inappropriate to change the constitution. According to him the inter-Burundi dialogue led by the facilitator William Benjamin Mkapa will have no effect if the constitution is revised.

    Vital Nshimirimana, a civil society activist, says the government has initiated the draft to amend the constitution to allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to remain in power forever. In 2014, President Nkurunziza attempted to change the constitution to be able to run for a third term contrary to the constitution, but the parliament rejected the bill, says Nshimirimana. According to that civil society activist, the government is taking the advantage of the absence of political figures, especially opposition parties and civil society leaders in exile, to revise the constitution, says Nshimirimana.

    According to him, the revision of the constitution risks worsening Burundi crisis caused by president Nkurunziza’s ambition to run for a third term in violation of the constitution and the Arusha Agreement. “This shows the government’s neglect of the current crisis,” Nshimirimana says.

    According to him, the major concerns of Burundians are the return of more than 400,000 Burundian refugees, the impunity of crimes against humanity committed in Burundi and the resolution of the current crisis.

    That civil society activist believes that the commission supposed to propose the amendment of the constitution will support the decision already taken by the government. He criticizes the fact that this commission is composed of members of the government and political or civil society organizations close to the ruling party CNDD-FDD.

    In the last session of the inter-Burundian dialogue held in February in Arusha, the facilitator William Benjamin Mkapa called on Burundi leaders to respect the spirit of the Arusha Agreement and Constitution. “The timing is not right to amend the Burundi constitution,” Mukapa said.

    Source:Iwacu

  • Nigerian officials jailed for selling food aid

    {Two Nigerian officials have been jailed for selling food aid meant for people fleeing militant attacks and food shortages in the country’s north-east.}

    The two sold 180 bags of rice donated by an international aid agency, the court in Maiduguri, Borno State, heard.

    They were jailed for two years and fined 1m naira ($3,200; £2,500) each.

    More than two million people have been displaced in north-eastern Nigeria where security forces are battling Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

    The prosecution of the two officials was brought by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the EFCC.

    Umar Ibrahim, a local councillor, and Bulama Ali Zangebe, a member of a camp feeding committee, are said to be the first convicted for corruption in relation to food aid in Nigeria since the insurgency began in 2009.

    The rice had been donated by the Danish Refugee Council for victims of insurgency in the town of Mafa, and had been marked as not for sale.

    The two admitted the charges against them but told the court that the rice was about to expire.

    President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015 with a pledge to root out corruption in government.

    Last month his office ordered an investigation after the head of the national intelligence agency was suspended over corruption allegations.

    He acted after anti-corruption officers found more than $43m (£34m) in a flat in the main city, Lagos.

    Millions of displaced people rely on food aid in Nigeria

    Source:BBC

  • Algeria election: Governing coalition wins parliamentary vote

    {Algeria’s governing coalition has retained its majority in parliamentary elections, official results show.}

    The National Liberation Front (FNL) won 164 seats in the 462-seat lower house with its ally, the National Democratic Rally (RND), on 97.

    Turnout was just over 38%, the interior ministry said, reflecting widespread disinterest among voters.

    The poll took place amid deep economic gloom and uncertainty over the health of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

    {{More about Algeria}}

    Mr Bouteflika’s FNL party has dominated the country’s politics since independence in 1962.

    On Thursday, the 80-year-old leader voted from a wheelchair in Algiers, in a rare public appearance since a 2013 stroke.

    Announcing the results on national television, Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui said there had been “an exemplary atmosphere” during the election.

    “The Algerian people have proved that they insist on their voices being heard,” he said.

    Final results must be confirmed by the constitutional council following any appeals.

    Correspondents say many Algerians are disillusioned with the political system which is largely presidential and gives the National Assembly only limited powers.

    The rule of President Bouteflika has been criticised for corruption and a lack of freedom, even though he has overseen a period of relative stability and prosperity following a decade-long civil war in the 1990s.

    A collapse in oil prices has hit the country’s economy badly and led to austerity measures being imposed.

    Unemployment is high, particularly among Algeria’s youth, and poverty remains widespread.

    More than 23 million people were eligible to vote for 11,334 candidates from 50 different political parties, including opposition Islamist alliances, in Thursday’s elections.

    Algerian lawmakers are elected for a five-year term.

    Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui announced the results on national TV

    Source:BBC

  • Algeria election – what you need to know

    {Algerian voters go to the polls on 4 May to elect a new parliament amid uncertainty over the health of the country’s ailing president, dwindling oil revenues, and instability on the borders with neighbouring countries.}

    {{What is at stake?}}

    Ruling officials have been campaigning on one key slogan: Stability.

    But delivering on this promise will be a tall order for a number of reasons.

    In a political system which remains essentially presidential in nature, the poor health of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is a major concern.

    While his rule has been criticised for corruption and a lack of political freedom, he has overseen a period of relative stability and prosperity following a decade-long civil war in the 1990s.

    But economic difficulties caused by falling oil prices have seen austerity imposed on the country.

    Sectors such as construction have been hard-hit, with government infrastructure projects put on hold and imports of building materials restricted.

    The country has also been forced to cut military spending at a time of increased security threats posed by instability and jihadist militants in neighbouring Niger and Libya, and a tense stand-off with Morocco over the status of Western Sahara.

    {{How is parliament structured?}}

    Algerian MPs are elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term in the 462-seat lower house.

    Seats are allocated proportionally according to the number of votes obtained by party lists. Eight seats are reserved for Algerian expatriate communities in four overseas districts.

    “Make your voice heard,” says this Algiers election poster urging people to vote
    More than 23m people are eligible to vote for 11,334 candidates from 50 different political parties, as well as a handful of independents.

    The role of parliament has been gradually expanding since changes to constitutional law were introduced in 1989. Following a constitutional amendment introduced last year, parliament will for the first time be consulted before a new prime minister is named by the president.

    However, it cannot withdraw confidence from the nominee.

    {{Who are the dominant parties?}}

    The National Liberation Front (FLN) is Algeria’s long-time ruling party, and draws its legitimacy from its key role in the war of independence against the French.

    Leader Djamel Ould Abbes claims to be a war hero, but some war veterans have disputed his past as a revolutionary.

    In the last parliament, the FLN formed a ruling coalition with the National Democratic Rally (RND), and commanded a large majority. The two parties are almost assured of taking a large number of seats in the next parliament.

    {{What are the opposition’s chances?}}

    Indications in recent months suggest that the authorities are seeking to coax more parties into the coalition to shore up the ruling majority in troubled times.

    The current opposition, comprising a mixture of reformist insiders, Islamists, and left-wing parties, is set to change.

    A recent ruling which allows parties to form electoral alliances may provide a path for Islamists to re-establish themselves as a potent force in parliament.

    The authorities have ordered imams to call on worshippers to take part in the polls in order to boost turnout.

    The non-Islamist opposition has only a slim chance of success.

    Source:BBC

  • S.Africa’s Zuma quits rally after being jeered

    {South African President Jacob Zuma abandoned a Mayday rally on Monday after he was booed and jeered by trade union members demanding he step down.}

    He was heckled by crowd members who sang anti-Zuma songs as he prepared to speak at the rally in the central city of Bloemfontein, organised by the country’s powerful Cosatu trade union federation.

    Organisers terminated the event at the Loch Logan Park and no other speakers were permitted to take to the stage to address the crowd of thousands.

    Zuma was shown on live TV hastily leaving the event in a heavily secured motorcade.

    Scuffles broke out between some members of the crowd calling for Zuma to step down and others who were chanting in support of the president, local media reported.

    Zuma had been due to share a stage with Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini and South African Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande. Organisers’ attempts to calm the crowds were unsuccessful.

    “It is sad that after a successful march which was well attended by the workers… chaos from members prevented us from proceeding with the programme,” Dlamini told the News 24 website.

    Cosatu, a key coalition partner of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), last month called for embattled Zuma to resign following a deeply unpopular cabinet reshuffle.

    Cosatu’s largest affiliate, the National Health Education and Allied Workers Union, wrote to Cosatu ahead of the event demanding that Zuma be replaced as the keynote speaker by his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa.

    Cosatu, along with the SACP and the ANC, was at the forefront of the effort to dislodge white-minority rule in South Africa that led to non-racial elections in 1994.

    It has openly backed Ramaphosa, who led Cosatu during the anti-apartheid struggle, to succeed Zuma in 2019 when the president must stand down.

    Zuma’s cabinet overhaul exposed deep divisions within the ANC, and officials from the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party are hoping to recruit enough support from ruling-party MPs to unseat the president if there is a vote of no confidence.

    Source:AFP

  • Rwanda begins selection of nine EALA members

    {Rwanda has begun selecting nine delegates to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), with the National Electoral Commission receiving applications from aspirants for slots representing the youth, women and people with disabilities.}

    Special interest groups were to submit names of their representatives to parliament by April 28, while political parties have up to May 15 to name their nominees.

    Women candidates will be chosen by the executive committee of the National Women’s Council at the district level, and representatives of national women’s associations and co-operatives with legal status, a directive issued by Charles Munyaneza, the NEC executive secretary, states.

    The executive committees of the National Youth Council and the National Council of Persons with Disabilities at the district level will select their representatives.

    Details of all candidates from political parties and special interest groups will be submitted to parliament on May 17.

    Only three parties, the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), the Social Democratic Party of Rwanda (PSD) and the Parti Libéral (PL) were asked to front candidates.

    The RPF, which is entitled to four seats, will submit eight candidates while PL and PSD will present two names each, among whom one candidate representing each party will be selected.

    “We will choose our candidates before the May 15 deadline set by the Electoral Commission,” said Donatille Mukabalisa, the chair of PL and Speaker of the Rwandan parliament.

    Vincent Biruta, the PSD chair, said his party will hold a meeting to nominate candidates.

    Of the nine current Rwandan EALA members, five have served two terms and are not eligible for re-election.

    These are James Ndahiro, Patricia Hajabakiga, Straton Ndikuryayo, Valerie Nyirahabineza, and Odette Nyiramilimo.

    Those eligible for re-election are Martin Ngoga, Oda Gasinzigwa, Pierre Rwigema and Francois Kalinda.

    From left: MP Valerie Nyirahabineza, James Ndahiro, Patricia Hajabakiga, Odette Nyiramilimo and Straton Ndikuryayo have served two terms in EALA and are not eligible for re-election.

    Source:The East African

  • Why EU is sending poll observer mission to Kenya but not Rwanda

    {The contrast in elections in Rwanda and Kenya, which both go to the polls in August, has come to the fore with the European Union saying it will not send an expert mission to assess the preparedness in Kigali even as it prepares to send one to Nairobi. }

    The EU will also not send an observer mission to monitor the Rwanda election, something which should not be entirely surprising given that it did not send one in 2010 “for lack of resources.” However, this is the first time that the EU will not commit to any of the missions.

    Unlike an observer mission, which assesses the credibility of an election, an expert mission assesses the potential political, social, media and economic risks before the polls and examines likely interventions.

    The decision not to send observers for Rwanda’s August 4 presidential elections was communicated to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) last week by the head of the EU delegation, Michael Ryan, at a closed door meeting in the company of ambassadors from Germany, UK, France and Belgium.

    “We are not sending any formal observer missions to the August elections. We don’t see the need and have limited resources. There are many elections in the world and we have to decide where to put our resources,” Mr Ryan said.

    {{Campaigns}}

    While the campaigns in Rwanda are restricted to the one month provided for by the Constitution, the campaigns in Kenya kicked off in earnest last week with political parties nominating their candidates for various positions.

    The EU is preparing to deploy observers in Kenya.

    Andy Barnard, the first counsellor at the EU delegation to Kenya, told The EastAfrican that following an invitation from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), an EU observer mission would be in Nairobi from mid next month.

    A key concern is the likely flare-up of election-related violence as that which befell Kenya in 2007.

    “Every death from such violence is an avoidable tragedy. But it has to be clear that our election observers are deployed to help Kenya strengthen democracy, not to strengthen security,” said Mr Barnard.

    Such is the heightened political temperature in Kenya that Catholic Bishops on April 28 warned of potential violence during elections following the shambolic party primaries that were concluded last week.

    Rwanda National Electoral Commission chairman Kalisa Mbanda said bodies wishing to observe the country’s polls would be invited for accreditation next month.

    In 2015, the EU, which is one Rwanda’s largest donors, was critical of the 2015 national referendum that postponed the application of presidential term limits.

    “Our thoughts are that there will be no surprises in Rwanda. It has nothing to do with the fact that we disagreed with the referendum,” Mr Ryan said in an interview.

    European Union election observers in Kenya in February 2013. The EU is preparing to deploy observers to the country ahead of the August 8, 2017 polls.

    Source:The East African

  • Kenya:Democratic Party to field over 350 candidates for various seats

    {The Democratic Party (DP) will field over 350 candidates for various seats in the August 8 elections, chairman Esau Kioni has said.}

    Among the aspirants, 28 are vying for National Assembly seats, four for governor and 320 are aspiring to be members of county assemblies.

    At the same time, DP has issued nomination certificates to its more than 40 candidates vying for different political positions in Nyeri County.

    Mr Kioni said the party has fielded candidates across the country even in areas perceived to be opposition strongholds with the aim of bringing change in development and unity in Kenya.

    Speaking at the Baden Powell grounds in Nyeri Town, Mr Kioni said the party has resourceful candidates ready to face their rivals from other political parties during August elections.

    “We do not have any candidate for Senate and women representative in Nyeri County but we will strongly support those who won in the Jubilee nominations in the two positions to bring unity and good leadership in our county,” he said.

    {{2ND OLDEST PARTY}}

    He said DP, being the second oldest party in Kenya, is in great competition with Jubilee Party in campaigning and mobilising voters to support President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid.

    Patrick Munene, who is vying for governor on DP, said he has confidence he will win the seat in the coming elections.

    He is competing for the top seat against Wahome Gakuru (Jubilee Party) and independent candidates Githinji Kinyanjui Cocorico and Thuo Mathenge.

    Othaya MP aspirant on the DP ticket Peter King’ara lauded residents for picking Gichuki Mugambi in the Jubilee primaries. Mr Mugambi trounced current MP Mary Wambui.

    “We are confident that our party will have winning candidates in the general election and [we will support] each other during campaigns,” Mr King’ara said.

    Democratic Party chairman Esau Kioni (left) hands a nomination certificate to Othaya parliamentary aspirant Peter King’ara at the Baden Powell grounds in Nyeri Town on April 30, 2017. Mr Kioni said the party will field over 350 candidates in the August elections.

    Source:Daily Nation