The political atmosphere in Cote d'Ivoire ahead of the November 28 run-off elections features prominently in today's press.
The electioneering campaign for the second round of the presidential election that will oppose incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and Alssane Ouattara, the Ivorian opposition leader, as well as preparations underway for the polls are the other major issues in the newspapers.
1. With barely 11 days to go to the polls in Cote d'Ivoire, a front-page story in L'inter (an independent daily) suggests that the run-off elections scheduled for November 28 could be threatened, as the western city of Bangolo came under heavy gunfire yesterday. According to the paper, a movie show organized by President Gbagbo's campaign team in the region has triggered the tension. The paper quotes eyewitnesses' reports saying that the ruling FPI party's youth supporters were gathered to watch the film when armed men, believed to be elements of the New Forces serving in the Center of the Integrated Command (CCI), took the film watchers by surprise and shot, creating a stampede. It's in reaction to this gun fire that the ruling FPI party's youth supporters went berserk, bringing activities in Bangolo to a standstill, reports the paper.
2. Reporting on the same incident, the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin says the population in Bangolo went on a rampage yesterday after elements of the CCI shot to stop a film show. The report also says the demonstrators set up barricades throughout the city and took position at the main entrance of the town. The paper quotes one Sergeant Cisse Amidou, believed to be an element of the CCI who led the shooting expedition, as saying: "You think the war is over. The rebellion is still alive. We'll kill you like you see it in the film that you have just watched."
3. "Before the second round, the rebels shot erratically in Bangolo," writes Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party); while another front-page story in Soir Info (an independent daily) reads: "Gun fire in Bangolo." The paper carries another prominent article saying that unidentified gunmen yesterday attacked Gbagbo's campaign headquarters in Abidjan.
4. Telling its side of the story, a banner headline in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the Ivorian Prime Minister) says a film that promotes hatred has sparked mayhem in Bangolo. The paper goes on to call the organizers of the film show "arsonists who are trying to set the country ablaze." According to the report, the film depicts atrocities committed in Bangolo during the September 19, 2002, military revolt, and blames the Ivorian opposition leader Alssane Ouattara for the killings. The paper warns that by showing this film as part of the ongoing electioneering campaign, the ruling party is just trying to turn the knife in the wound and hence jeopardize peace that is prevailing in Cote d'Ivoire since the signing of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, the deal that paves the way for the long-delayed presidential elections.
5. On the electoral process, a report in Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) says the preparation of the November 28 run-off contest was high on the agenda yesterday during a meeting between the Head of the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire, Y. J. Choi, and Youssouf Bakayoko, the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). "We have taken stock of challenges that we came across during the first round. As we prepare for the second round, we are trying to find solutions to those challenges in order to ensure that the run-off elections take place in good conditions," the paper quotes Choi as saying after the meeting. The head of the UN mission also reportedly said that the remaining challenges include technical and logistic problems as well as the issue of how "to preserve the results." A report in Soir Info says Choi and Bakayoko are committed to correct irregularities that were noted during the first round.
6. Meanwhile, a prominent story in Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the opposition PDCI-RDA party) suggests that the incumbent president is negotiating for the delay of the run-off elections officially set for November 28. The paper also alleges that President Gbagbo has tasked the Head of the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire to obtain from Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore, the mediator in the Ivorian peace process, a delay of the polls.
7. On issues relating to the media coverage of the ongoing presidential campaign, Le Nouveau Reveil accuses the state-run Broadcaster RTI (Radiodiffusion Television Ivoirienne) of playing what it sees as a "dangerous" game. The paper publishes an article written by an independent contributor who sees recent TV programs as designed to spread falsehoods and manipulate the population. The writer cites footage of a series of programs that show opposition supporters defecting from the opposition groups and calling on people to vote for the incumbent president. In a related development, L'Expression (a daily close to the opposition) calls RTI "Radio Mille Collines," in reference to the Rwandan radio station that was accused of playing a key role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
8. With more on the media coverage of the electoral process underway in Cote d'Ivoire, a report in Fraternite Matin says the French media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, has called on President Gbagbo and his challenger in the run-off, Allassane Ouattara, to ensure that the media outlets that support them respect the press code of ethics.
9. In another development, Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) today carries a front-page story alleging that Col Yao N'Guessan, an Ivorian army officer, who is facing trial in the US on a charge of arms smuggling, has been freed. The paper, which withholds the source of the information, recalls in a recent televised state address, President Gbagbo promised that Col N'Guessan would be released soon; adding that the Ivorian leader has given instructions that legal procedures should be taken to enable the Ivorian army officer to be released. According to the paper, a San Jose federal court hearing the case had in its November 15 ruling that Col N'Guessan should be released on bail. Later the same day, reports the paper, Col N'Guessan left the Santa Clara prison to join an Ivorian official delegation led by Cote d'Ivoire's Ambassador to the US Koffi Yao Charles. Notre Voie also publishes the same story and attributes it to one Laurent Kouame, an Ivorian diplomat.
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10. With a front-page picture of the Ivorian opposition leader in a pensive mood, Notre Voie says Alassane Ouattara is embroiled in a turmoil, as "his friend" Viktor Bout, a former Soviet airforce officer, was arrested and charged with arms trafficking arms and terrorism charges in a US court
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