Ahead of the Madagascar elections slated to take place on October 25, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) plans to send 300 election observers with a first batch of 40 to 50 observers deployed to monitor pre-election activities.
This was made known to the Malagasy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ulrich Andriantiana on Wednesday when a team from the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) led by its Vice-President of SEAC, Ms. Orlanda Rafael, paid a visit to the country.
Minister Ulrich Andriantiana stressed during the meeting that the advice of SEAC are welcome especially in the prevention of conflicts and the establishment of favorable conditions for securing the elections with observers and called on the SADC to double its efforts in seeking for extra funds for the country to properly organize the upcoming elections.
The Madagascar election has been rescheduled 3 times. The date was first postponed to July when the electoral commission said it was unprepared to hold the poll. 33 candidates will be competing the first round of the elections and a second round will be held on 20 December if there is no clear winner.
AEP
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Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Second round runoff likely in Madagascar: Rajoelina
Madagascar strongman Andry Rajoelina, barred from running in upcoming elections, on Monday said the presidential race was likely to be decided by a second round of voting.
"Experience has shown... there will be a second round" after the October 25 vote, meant to end a four-year political crisis, he said in an interview with foreign media, including AFP.
He ruled out a return of his rival, ex-president Marc Ravalomanana whom he overthrew in 2009, but he did not dismiss a possible future turn as prime minister for himself.
"It is not yet on the agenda, we will try to see the election outcome, how the situation evolves," he said before adding: "I do not exclude it either."
After the October presidential poll, a parliamentary vote will follow on December 20, along with a second presidential round if there is no outright winner.
The former mayor of Antananarivo declined to say which of the 33 candidates he supported.
He assured he had "no regrets" after having been forced under international pressure to pull out of the polls, along with former head of state Didier Ratsiraka and former first lady Lalao Ravalomanana.
Exiled in South Africa since the coup in 2009, Ravalomanana has tried several times to return to the island.
Rajoelina said it would be wise to "let the people choose and then we'll see how things will develop."
An electoral court last month disqualified the three controversial candidates from the election race after the trio refused to withdraw.
Their candidacies, which did not meet electoral rules, had been widely condemned.
"Experience has shown... there will be a second round" after the October 25 vote, meant to end a four-year political crisis, he said in an interview with foreign media, including AFP.
He ruled out a return of his rival, ex-president Marc Ravalomanana whom he overthrew in 2009, but he did not dismiss a possible future turn as prime minister for himself.
"It is not yet on the agenda, we will try to see the election outcome, how the situation evolves," he said before adding: "I do not exclude it either."
After the October presidential poll, a parliamentary vote will follow on December 20, along with a second presidential round if there is no outright winner.
The former mayor of Antananarivo declined to say which of the 33 candidates he supported.
He assured he had "no regrets" after having been forced under international pressure to pull out of the polls, along with former head of state Didier Ratsiraka and former first lady Lalao Ravalomanana.
Exiled in South Africa since the coup in 2009, Ravalomanana has tried several times to return to the island.
Rajoelina said it would be wise to "let the people choose and then we'll see how things will develop."
An electoral court last month disqualified the three controversial candidates from the election race after the trio refused to withdraw.
Their candidacies, which did not meet electoral rules, had been widely condemned.
Source: AFP
Guinea: Opposition Warns Against Rigging Election Results
Guinea's electoral commission said on Tuesday results from a weekend legislative election could take days longer than expected to publish, prompting opposition leaders to warn they would not accept any attempt to rig the outcome.
Voters turned out on Saturday after months of political haggling and violent protests for the poll - touted as the completion of the mineral-rich West African country's transition to democracy after a 2008 coup.
A spokesman for the national electoral commission (CENI) had originally suggested provisional results would be ready on Tuesday, 72 hours after the long-delayed legislative election.
However, CENI Vice President El Hadji Ibrahim Kalil Keita said on Tuesday the commission had until within 72 hours of the arrival of the last voting sheets from polling stations to announce a result. With sheets trickling in from some 12,000 sites across the country, that could take several days.
Sidya Toure, leader of the opposition UFR party, said that his supporters would wait for the results to be officially announced but they would not accept any attempt to tamper with them.
Guinean media have in recent days covered tallies of results posted on voting stations from across the country. The piecemeal figures suggested a strong showing by President Alpha Conde's RPG party, Toure's UFR and the opposition UFDG led by Cellou Dalein Diallo.
"We have all the results and the international observers have them too. We will not accept rigged results," Toure told Reuters. "If they do not reflect the will of the people, we will reject them."
No party is expected to win an outright majority in the 114-seat National Assembly and coalition-building is expected in the aftermath.
In a country where the president holds real power, the election is seen as a rehearsal for the 2015 presidential race when Conde's five-year term ends.
A European Union observers mission on Monday said CENI had failed to fully correct problems with the voters list and urged the commission to publish results on a bureau by bureau basis to make them as transparent as possible.
Moustapha Naite, spokesman for the ruling RPG party, said it had "cleaned up" at the election and the opposition was trying to twist the outcome.
Political analysts say any dispute over the election results could plunge Guinea - the world's largest bauxite exporter - back into the political violence which left some 50 people dead and deterred mining investment.
"The government must understand that it is in its interests to preserve the integrity of the electoral process to anchor democracy definitively in this country," said Alpha Amadou Bano Barry, a university professor.
Voters turned out on Saturday after months of political haggling and violent protests for the poll - touted as the completion of the mineral-rich West African country's transition to democracy after a 2008 coup.
A spokesman for the national electoral commission (CENI) had originally suggested provisional results would be ready on Tuesday, 72 hours after the long-delayed legislative election.
However, CENI Vice President El Hadji Ibrahim Kalil Keita said on Tuesday the commission had until within 72 hours of the arrival of the last voting sheets from polling stations to announce a result. With sheets trickling in from some 12,000 sites across the country, that could take several days.
Sidya Toure, leader of the opposition UFR party, said that his supporters would wait for the results to be officially announced but they would not accept any attempt to tamper with them.
Guinean media have in recent days covered tallies of results posted on voting stations from across the country. The piecemeal figures suggested a strong showing by President Alpha Conde's RPG party, Toure's UFR and the opposition UFDG led by Cellou Dalein Diallo.
"We have all the results and the international observers have them too. We will not accept rigged results," Toure told Reuters. "If they do not reflect the will of the people, we will reject them."
No party is expected to win an outright majority in the 114-seat National Assembly and coalition-building is expected in the aftermath.
In a country where the president holds real power, the election is seen as a rehearsal for the 2015 presidential race when Conde's five-year term ends.
A European Union observers mission on Monday said CENI had failed to fully correct problems with the voters list and urged the commission to publish results on a bureau by bureau basis to make them as transparent as possible.
Moustapha Naite, spokesman for the ruling RPG party, said it had "cleaned up" at the election and the opposition was trying to twist the outcome.
Political analysts say any dispute over the election results could plunge Guinea - the world's largest bauxite exporter - back into the political violence which left some 50 people dead and deterred mining investment.
"The government must understand that it is in its interests to preserve the integrity of the electoral process to anchor democracy definitively in this country," said Alpha Amadou Bano Barry, a university professor.
Source: Reuters
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Guinea election: calm but voting lists flawed - EU observers
* EU mission says voter list was not properly updated
* EU calls for results to be published bureau by bureau
* Fears of fresh political violence if results contested
* Political uncertainty affecting mining sector
By Saliou Samb
CONAKRY, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Guinea's long-delayed elections passed calmly but were marred by organisational problems and flawed voting lists, European Union observers said on Monday.
Voters turned out on Saturday after months of political haggling and violent protests for the legislative poll - touted as the completion of the mineral-rich West African country's transition to democracy after a 2008 coup.
Opposition groups had accused the government of trying to rig the vote by leaving people off voting lists in their strongholds and duplicating names in government areas, allegations dismissed by supporters of President Alpha Conde.
Political parties agreed to delay the poll for four days to let the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) make changes to the voting registry.
"The four-day delay only allowed corrective measures announced by the CENI to be implemented very partially and too late," said Christian Preda, head of the EU observers mission.
"Despite important organisational shortcomings in the electoral process, Guineans calmly expressed their will to bring the transition to a close," he added.
Observers have said they are worried any renewed dispute about the results could reignite the street violence which killed dozens of people in the run-up to the vote.
The EU mission found the voting list had not been properly updated and consolidated at a national level, Preda said.
"The publication of the results bureau by bureau on CENI's website would reinforce the credibility of the process."
The political uncertainty has hit investment in Guinea's key mining sector. It has large reserves of iron ore, gold and diamonds and is the world's largest exporter of bauxite, the raw material for manufacturing aluminium.
No party is expected to win an outright majority in the 114-seat National Assembly and coalition-building is expected in the aftermath.
In a country where the president holds real power, the election is seen as a rehearsal for the 2015 presidential race when Conde's five-year term ends.
Tensions mounted in the Kaloum administrative district of Guinea's seafront capital Conakry, where security forces had to intervene to separate groups of pro-government and opposition supporters.
A military police truck blocked the route to the district on Monday.
Results posted on the voting bureaux in Conakry suggested a strong showing by Conde's RPG and two opposition parties: the UFDG led by Cellou Dalein Diallo and the UFR of Sidya Toure.
Source: Reuters
* EU calls for results to be published bureau by bureau
* Fears of fresh political violence if results contested
* Political uncertainty affecting mining sector
By Saliou Samb
CONAKRY, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Guinea's long-delayed elections passed calmly but were marred by organisational problems and flawed voting lists, European Union observers said on Monday.
Voters turned out on Saturday after months of political haggling and violent protests for the legislative poll - touted as the completion of the mineral-rich West African country's transition to democracy after a 2008 coup.
Opposition groups had accused the government of trying to rig the vote by leaving people off voting lists in their strongholds and duplicating names in government areas, allegations dismissed by supporters of President Alpha Conde.
Political parties agreed to delay the poll for four days to let the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) make changes to the voting registry.
"The four-day delay only allowed corrective measures announced by the CENI to be implemented very partially and too late," said Christian Preda, head of the EU observers mission.
"Despite important organisational shortcomings in the electoral process, Guineans calmly expressed their will to bring the transition to a close," he added.
Observers have said they are worried any renewed dispute about the results could reignite the street violence which killed dozens of people in the run-up to the vote.
The EU mission found the voting list had not been properly updated and consolidated at a national level, Preda said.
"The publication of the results bureau by bureau on CENI's website would reinforce the credibility of the process."
The political uncertainty has hit investment in Guinea's key mining sector. It has large reserves of iron ore, gold and diamonds and is the world's largest exporter of bauxite, the raw material for manufacturing aluminium.
No party is expected to win an outright majority in the 114-seat National Assembly and coalition-building is expected in the aftermath.
In a country where the president holds real power, the election is seen as a rehearsal for the 2015 presidential race when Conde's five-year term ends.
Tensions mounted in the Kaloum administrative district of Guinea's seafront capital Conakry, where security forces had to intervene to separate groups of pro-government and opposition supporters.
A military police truck blocked the route to the district on Monday.
Results posted on the voting bureaux in Conakry suggested a strong showing by Conde's RPG and two opposition parties: the UFDG led by Cellou Dalein Diallo and the UFR of Sidya Toure.
Source: Reuters
#GuineaElection: Voter Turnout Tops 80 Percent
People in Guinea are awaiting results from Saturday's parliamentary elections, which officials say were marked by heavy voter turnout.
Guinea's electoral commission says it appears more than 80 percent of eligible voters cast ballots Saturday, despite some logistical problems in the capital, Conakry.
The elections are considered the last step in Guinea’s transition from military dictatorship to civilian rule. President Alpha Conde won a close presidential election in 2010, two years after army officers took power in a coup.
The commission says it will being releasing partial results no later than Tuesday.
The Economic Community of West African States sent an observer team to Guinea. Edem Kodjo, who heads the mission, said the elections took place in "acceptable conditions" with regards to freedom and transparency.
"The shortcomings noted do not visibly stem from any deliberate act that could call into question the integrity of the electoral process," he said. "These shortcomings stemmed from a misunderstanding of procedures on the part of electoral workers or logistical problems. These shortcomings did not prevent citizens from voting freely."
While there were complaints about long lines Saturday, voting was calm.
Some 1,700 candidates are seeking the 114 seats in the National Assembly, which will replace a transitional council.
Guinea's parliamentary polls had been repeatedly postponed for more than two years because of disputes in organizing the polls and violence between political parties.
Leading up to Saturday's vote, at least one person was killed and dozens more injured in campaign clashes in the West African nation.
Source: VOA
Guinea's electoral commission says it appears more than 80 percent of eligible voters cast ballots Saturday, despite some logistical problems in the capital, Conakry.
The elections are considered the last step in Guinea’s transition from military dictatorship to civilian rule. President Alpha Conde won a close presidential election in 2010, two years after army officers took power in a coup.
The commission says it will being releasing partial results no later than Tuesday.
The Economic Community of West African States sent an observer team to Guinea. Edem Kodjo, who heads the mission, said the elections took place in "acceptable conditions" with regards to freedom and transparency.
"The shortcomings noted do not visibly stem from any deliberate act that could call into question the integrity of the electoral process," he said. "These shortcomings stemmed from a misunderstanding of procedures on the part of electoral workers or logistical problems. These shortcomings did not prevent citizens from voting freely."
While there were complaints about long lines Saturday, voting was calm.
Some 1,700 candidates are seeking the 114 seats in the National Assembly, which will replace a transitional council.
Guinea's parliamentary polls had been repeatedly postponed for more than two years because of disputes in organizing the polls and violence between political parties.
Leading up to Saturday's vote, at least one person was killed and dozens more injured in campaign clashes in the West African nation.
Source: VOA
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