UN and France insist on poll plan

The UN and France have warned Cote d’Ivoire of dire political consequences if the presidential elections billed for November 29, failed to take place.

However, President Laurent Gbagbo has stated that “there were no obstacles for the holding of the plebiscite”.

In a statement at the weekend, the UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, said even though the publication last week of the provisional voter registration list was welcome, the slow pace of the disarmament and demobilisation of former combatants, was indeed a cause for concern.

Presidential elections have been postponed for nearly four years now in Cote d’Ivoire due mainly to wrangles among the political class on the one hand, and the government of President Gbagbo and the former rebel faction headed by the now Prime Minister, Mr Guillame Soro.

On Thursday last week, the Government of Cote d’Ivoire and the French security outfit, Sagem, that was commissioned by an international peace agreement to help publish the provisional voter list, finally submitted it to the country’s independent national electoral commission in the capital, Abidjan.

The list is being distributed to the various political parties that will contest the presidential elections, and the civil society organisations for their inputs in about two weeks.

Opposition parties

A final list is expected to be produced by an ad hoc commission, which includes representatives of the government, Sagem and opposition parties.

The opposition parties have been accusing the government of the lack of political will to move the electoral process forward.

The disarmament and demobilisation process is also a bone of contention, especially between the government and pockets of the former armed faction, which now view Mr Soro as a sellout.

In spite of this, a pilot phase of the disarmament and demobilisation of 500 troops of the estimated 18,000-strong faction, began in earnest a little over two weeks ago in the Zone 10 region, north of the country.