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2010 Elections in Cote D' Ivoire: What most media do not tell you.

By Aloysius AGENDIA

 Early November 2010, Ivoirians went to the polls to elect a new president. After the first round of elections, no candidate could get the absolute majority needed to avoid a runoff. Incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo of LMP scored 38 percent of the votes while former Prime Minister Alasane Ouatara of PDR and former President Henri Konan Bedie got 32 and 25 percent respectively. The second round on November 28, 2010 pitted Ouatara against Gbagbo.  Konan Bedie urged his supporters to rally behind Ouatara. Analysts considered the call a marriage against nature because; it was the same Konan Bedie who made claims in the late 1990s and early 2000 that Ouatara was not an Ivoirian but actually a Burkinabe. That was the beginning of rivalry in Cote D Ivoire.  From that perspective, it is hard to say with certainty if the supporters of Bedie could actually vote for Ouatara or massively vote for someone whom for years they consider more of their enemy than Laurent Gbagbo.

After the November 28 runoff, the Independent Electoral Commission from a hotel hideout declared that Alasane Ouatara was winner of the elections with 54 percent of the votes as against 45 for Laurent Gbagbo. However, the victory was annulled moments later by the Constitutional Council of Cote D' Ivoire after it admitted claims and proofs from the Laurent Gbagbo camp that the elections were heavily flawed in the North which is controlled by New Forces rebels (they remain armed till date) said to be loyal to Alasane Ouatara.  More so, the elections result had not been declared within the stipulated time frame by law. There were also claims of fraud in the west,  Gbagbo's fief but it is not clear if a formal complain was deposited by the Ouatara camp.

That notwithstanding, in a twist  of events the United Nations and some countries like France, USA dismissed the  statement of the Constitutional Council of Cote D' Ivoire and  said in categorical terms that the results declared by the Electoral Commission were the right ones and valid and they would consider Alasane Ouatara as the president of Cote D' Ivoire.

The issue is that a lot of media organs in African have been relaying information from international press without knowing the ramifications of their actions.

 It becomes very dangerous  and troubling when media in Cameroon and most of Africa, get their news on elections in Cote D 'Ivoire only from CNN, France 24, rfi or sister media, most of who do analysis somtimes without knowing exactly what happened, or limiting their analysis to immediate actions without knowing what provoked the actions or again out rightly analysing without taking into consideration what the law of that country says with respect to what they are analysing.

As far as the November presidential elections in Cote D Ivoire are concerned, you may want to read this article culled from this newspaper http://www.notrevoie.com/Home.asp.  Or http://www.notrevoie.com/a_la_une.asp?id=37453  or read the whole edition  of Notre Voie No 3747 of December 03, 2010.

 
You may also want to read a pro- Alasane Ouatara paper like Nouveau Reveil Issue No 2687 of December 03, 2010 on website address http://www.lenouveaureveil.com/.  That is why I decided to read these two newspapers which are diametrically opposed, in order to make an informed opinion of the real situation in Cote D' Ivoire.

After having done that, please relief yourself from the psychological warfare.  The media, especially so called international bodies, international media and colonial troops stationed in Cote D' Ivoire must stop causing confusion and sowing disunity among people.

WHAT THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA IS REFUSING TO ALSO STRESS OR MENTION:


- The report sheet of the majority of members of the Electoral Commission in the north of the country admitted that the elections were highly flawed in that area.

- They also refused to mention that results were cancelled in virtually all of France where Gbagbo's party had a resounding majority. Yet, the president of the EC paid a blind eye on what happened in the north since he knew certain international media and countries will back his action.

- The international media is mentioning that the President of the Constitutional Council is pro Gbagbo but fails to admit that the President of the Electoral Commission as well as its Permanent Secretary and Spokesman are all pro Ouatara. What an unnecessary hype.

- The international media focuses on the tearing of results sheet  by a pro'-Gbagbo member of the EC. without investigating what provoked such actions. The action of the EC member was uncivil though.

- The international media fails to emphasize that the election results had not been harmonised before the spokesman rushing to make inflammatory declarations.

- The international media fails to equally reiterate that the results were released in a hotel hide out rather than from the Electoral Commission’s office and without other members of the Electoral Commission. They also fail to mention that this hotel was candidate Alasane Ouatara's base.

- The international media fails to mention that in several areas in the North, Ouatara is said to have had more votes than all of the registered voters in the polling centres concerned. That can only happen in Cameroon under Paul Biya.

- The international media fails to mention that it is this same Alasane Ouatara who has been acused of being  behind the rebellion in Cote D Ivoire that killed several people. The rebellion then divided the country into two there by creating a country (North of Ivory Coast) within a country , that is Ivory Coast itselt. Ouatara has always refused this acusation though. However this video of one of the rebel commanders who Ouatara is said to have trained and sponsored is clear testimony..

-The international media has carefully avoided what other election observers like the AU and other independent monitors said about the elections. They prefer to hinge on what EU, French and UN team are claiming.

The international media with the exception of BBC failed to relay or analyse an ultimatum given by French President and Foreign Minister to the EC of Cote Ivoire. It read “the election results MUST be published today” that was Wednesday December 01, 2010. Who are they to give ultimatums to a sovereign nation and what was the reason behind such an irritating statement?

-The international community represented by some powerful capitalists and imperialist bodies, think they can use the so called International Tribunal at The Hague to threaten nationalist African leaders. The headline of Le Nouveau Reveil   of December 03, 201, a pro Ouatara newspaper even confirms this.

And finally, the whistleblower Wikileaks in one of its cables revealed that Nicholas Sarkhozy is France’s closest American ally of all past French presidents since WWII. And you may not know the reason behind this. This is simply because Sarkhozy needs the support of USA and allies in consolidating his grip on Africa and he wants to retake or re-colonised Africa and the rights Africans were beginning to take after some of us gained consciousness.  It is because of such backing that his country will mete out the most inhuman treatment on Africans in France, yet no nation/ international media would bother to talk about, less of making it a hype. Where is the RUPTURE he promised?

Please do not fall prey to the media psychological warfare. I know many of you are defeated already.

Let all colonial and neo-colonial troops leave Cote D ‘Ivoire and the same apply to all of Africa. That country can solve its problem without confusion being orchestrated by international troops and bodies there. Without people coming in the name of peace mission, maintaining their interest yet eventually ending up arming militias and rebels and intoxicating villagers.

Finally, if elections were rigged in the north of Cote D’ Ivoire an area controlled by rebels and said to be loyal to Ouatara, then such elections must be cancelled. If not, Gbagbo should accept defeat, leave honourably and begin preparing for next elections.

France succeeded in Gabon with 'Omar Bongo Ondimba Ali Ben' after France-Afrique emperor Omar Bongo Ondimba I died. I pray and hope they do not succeed in Cote D' Ivoire again. Renaissance is needed. Cameroon may likely take the stage in 2011. We want to do our things in peace. Whatever will happen in Cameroon we do not need French or UN troops.

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