ANB-BIA SUPPLEMENT

ISSUE/EDITION Nr 355 - 01/11/1998

CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS



Central African Republic

Before the elections


by Mathurin Momet, CAR, October 1998

THEME = ELECTIONS

INTRODUCTION

Parliamentary elections
are due to take place amid a background of duplicity

The National Assembly's term of office draws to a close but Patassé's regime is doing its best to delay the elections, so as to be in a stronger position to "organise" matters its own way. The government is just waiting for the United Nations Mission to the Central African Republic (MINURCA) to end its mandate in a few months' time.

The Head of State took himself off to the west for a pre-election campaign. He got a rough reception from the local people.

So what's the government up to, by way of double-dealing in the forthcoming elections or at the very least doing its best to delay the elections? It's:

  • - Making "suitable" appointments to senior positions - Prefects, Sub-Prefects, to ensure the government's own people are in key positions
  • - Making certain the electoral lists will give results favouring the present regime
  • - Re-organising constituencies to ensure the regime gets back into power
  • - Falsifying the electoral roll. The government says that 2 million people are eligible to vote whereas in 1993 there were only 1,150,000.
  • - The National Assembly had an emergency sitting from 7-22 September so as to debate and vote on a Bill modifying the organisation and running of the Constitutional Court. This would result in:
    1. Restricting the freedom of action of judges attached to this Court
    2. The possibility for the government to appoint their own nominees to the Court
    3. Turning the Court's decision to the regime's own advantage
    4. Making it possible to contest the Court's decisions

    Faced with Patassé's trickeries, the Grouping of 11 Opposition Parties (G11), the CAR's Trades Union Congress (USTC), the Union for Peace and Development (UFAP) all condemned these attempts by the governing party to control the elections. This was done by a number of statements and demonstrations on 4 and 14 September.

    A Cabinet meeting was held on 9 September. Opposition ministers told the President he was heading for trouble if he continued to push for the Bill to be voted in by the National Assembly. Prime Minister Michel Gbezera-Bria took the opportunity of pointing out to President Patassé that perhaps he hadn't foreseen the consequences of such a Bill.

    And so the Bill was withdrawn. President Patassé, pretending to encourage democratic debate, requested that the National Assembly's mandate should be extended and at the same time, discreetly inserted certain "arrangements" for extending his own presidential mandate. On 9 September, Members of Parliament refused to sanction the extension of Patassé's presidential mandate.

    Election programme

    The Independent Electoral Commission (CEMI) has just published the election programme. 7-12 November 1998 - election campaigning; 22 November 1998 - First round of parliamentary elections; 13 December 1998 - Second round of parliamentary elections.

    But the CEMI is faced with considerable financial problems because the State has not released the 50 million CFA francs budgeted in the 1998 budget for preparing the elections. Also, France, which together with Japan had agreed to pay the daily allowances of CEMI members, has decided to reduce the amounts promised.

    Although the Opposition come out well in the opinion polls, they've got to overcome their leadership quarrels and their inter- party rivalries if they are to have any success in the elections.

    MINURCA's mandate ends on 31 December 1998, but because Patassé has already signed a number of military agreements with Nigeria, Congo RDC, Ethiopia, Senegal, Chad, Sudan, Egypt and Libya, CAR's citizens are beginning to wonder if the elections will in fact take place and in any case, what's going to happen after the elections if Patassé's party doesn't get a parliamentary majority?

    END

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