Presidential candidate lists 'evils of governance' in Mauritania

Exposing what he called 'the evils of his country', anti-slavery activist and candidate for the Mauritanian presidential election, Biram Ould Ould Dah Abeid, said he possessed the solutions to the myriad of problems if elected president.

Dah Abeid, the leader of the Initiative of the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA), said Mauritania was a country of coups by army generals, the most recent perpetrated against the first democratically-elected president in the country’s history. He said Mauritania was a 'land of slavery, racism, rights violations, manipulation of justice, generalization and normalization of corruption and the collapse of public education'. He said, if elected president, he would launch a programme to establish the rule of law, revive the economy, ensure a more equitable distribution of national wealth, promote freedom, put an end to oppression, provide relief to victims of oppression, combat injustice and take into account the aspirations of all segments of the Mauritanian society in his administration.

The anti-slavery activist called the incumbent president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, as 'the symbol of exclusion and forfeiture of civil rights' of a section of the Mauritanian society. He alleged that the incumbent president manages the country like a small family business. President Aziz, also running in the polls, came to power 6 August, 2008, following a coup. He was elected President 18 July 2009. Mauritania's presidential election, slated for 21 June, is boycotted by the opposition parties, National Forum for Democracy and Unity (FNDU0 and the Progressive People's Alliance (PPA). Winner of the United Nations Human Rights Prize in 2013, Biram Ould Ould Dah Abeid believes that both the ruling party and the FNDU support 'slavery and inequality'.



Source:  Africa News & Information

Nigeria Election: FCT Minister calls for peaceful election

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, has advised politicians to ensure peaceful election in 2015 for the development of the country. Senator Mohammed gave the advice when he donated 22,18 seater buses to the Bauchi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to help the party in Bauchi.

He said the gesture will help the party reach nooks and crannies of the state ahead of the 2015 general elections. Presenting the vehicles to the state PDP chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro Yaro on behalf of the minister, Senator Abubakar Maikafi  said “the minister’s gesture was a fulfillment of his promise to the party to enable it reach everywhere in the state, particularly now that the 2015 general election is approaching”.

He said the vehicles will be distributed to PDP offices in all the 20 Local Government areas in the state, while the remaining two will be given to the state secretariat of PDP and North East zonal secretariat of the party. Alhaji Yaro Yaro called on supporters of the party to unite themselves and support the party at all levels for the success of the party in the next general election. Ibrahim said the gesture is a clear manifestation of the minister’s commitment to the success of the party and welfare of members.


Source: Daily Times

Mauritanian president accuses opposition of vote-rigging

Mauritania's president accused the opposition on Tuesday of buying up people's identity cards in an attempt to prevent them from voting in an upcoming election. President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, an ex-army general, is seeking re-election in the vote this Saturday, and rival politicians have called for voters to boycott what they call a "sham" election.

The president's spokesman said the government had received reports that the opposition was buying identity cards "to influence the participation rate". "We are talking about an operation on a grand scale," said El-Houssein Ould Ahmed El-Hadi. "It is not only illegal, but also morally wrong, because it prevents citizens from freely voicing their preference." The electoral commission is looking into the reports, he said. Mauritania's opposition, the National Forum for Democracy and Unity (FNDU), which is made up of a loose collection of lawmakers, rejected the allegations.

"The reality is the FNDU doesn't need to confiscate citizens' identity cards, they themselves are showing their disinterest in the elections... by abstaining from the campaign," the party said in a statement. The opposition have criticised the "dictatorial" character of Abdel Aziz's regime, accusing him of organising an "electoral mascarade". Abdel Aziz, who took control of the former French colony in a 2008 coup before being elected a year later, said those seeking a boycott "refuse to acknowledge the great progress made for poor Mauritanians" in recent years.

A mainly Muslim republic between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sahara Desert, Mauritania is viewed as strategically important by the West in the fight against Al-Qaeda-linked groups both within its own borders and across the region. Four candidates, including an anti-slavery campaigner and Mauritania's second ever female presidential hopeful, are running against the president. Aziz is tipped to win the poll, but a weak turnout could be interpreted as a sign that the boycott has been a success.

Source: AFP

AU ends Egypt, Guinea Bissau suspension after elections

The African Union (AU) ended the suspension of Egypt and Guinea Bissau from the grouping on Tuesday after the two countries elected new leaders, a senior AU official said. Egypt held an election in May after it was suspended from all the activities of the African body when the military overthrew the elected president, Islamist Mohamed Mursi, in July last year. Guinea Bissau also held a vote in May after a military takeover.

Suspension is the AU's usual response to any interruption of constitutional rule by a member.
"Today a decision has been taken to allow Egypt to regain its seat in all the activities of the African Union," AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui told Reuters.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who removed Mursi when he was head of Egypt's army, was sworn into office in June after a poll in which he won 96.91 percent of the vote.
Guinea Bissau's election winner was Jose Mario Vaz, a former finance minister and candidate for the dominant African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). The result was initially challenged by the loser who then conceded.
Now we have a president elected and recognised by even those who were opposed," Chergui said.


Source: Reuters

Ghana: What are the essential pillars of democracy?

 The privileged to be called upon by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) as one of the resource persons for the 2014 Citizenship Week celebration in the Volta Region. Each year the NCCE dedicates a week to remind Ghanaians, especially the voting ones of their responsibilities as citizens and the role they can play in building; a strong, vibrant and a democratic Ghana. The Citizenship Week creates an environment wherein people in leadership positions, professionals, academics, great and accomplished citizens, are engaged by the NCCP. as volunteers living in their communities to interact with and impart virtues of good citizenship and the need to uphold democratic governance to pupils of basic schools across the country.

It also aims at encouraging mentor-ship lot pupils in the basic schools. The topic for the week's discussion was "Indiscipline; how it weakens die pillars of our democracy". In this week’s feature, I share with readers the essential pillar; if our democracy. In m^y view:, there are seven main pillars in the architecture of democracy; namely: elections, political tolerance, the rule of law, freedom of expression, accountabilit^y and transparency, decentralization, and civil societies. First, free and fair elections lend legitimacy to democracy in preventing one person or i small group in society front imposing certain vested interests on the general population. No one person or grump should exercise a monopoly of power own: the election process.

In a democracy, political parties can be formed and can campaign without intimidation. Some countries require political parties to have a minimum level of popular support before the^y can participate in elections. All political parties must also have access to a free media and other means to broadcast their election manifestos. The electoral process is supervised, monitored and carried out by a neutral body, often an election commission. However, elections can be rigged and votes bought. Politicians who only appear in their constituencies to enhance their patronage power are a familiar phenomenon in many countries. A political establishment that ceases to reflect aspirations of the citizens loses its political legitimacy.

The second pilar is political tolerance. Free and fair elections do not give a mandate to oppress or sideline those who have voted against the government. It also does lint mean that the majority have a right to rob the minorit^y of its civil liberties, rights, property or life. Tolerance is required for democracy to be sustained. If minority groups do not benefit equitably from the election process, there can be no peace. That absence of peace will make a mockery of efforts to be democratic.

In many countries, there are examples of rewards being given only for those voters who supported the ruling party, with neglect or punishment given those who voted for the opposition. The distribution of food, water supplies and development resources has been used as a weapon of control to win elections.

The third pillar is the rule of law: There has been much debate on the meaning of this. What is dear, though, is the close connection between the rule of law and democracy. W7tcn the political process is subject to laws and a regulatory framework, it enable citizens to fudge the lawfulness of the government. They can find answers to key questions: Does the government govern according to the law or does it take the position _that it is exempt from some inconvenient rules? Are procedures of government stable and within the law or does government act in an arbitrary fashion, arresting people who challenge its policies and depriving diem of their liberty-without due process. Democracy becomes dysfunctional when the bureaucracy, the judicial; the legislature, the private sector, the police and the military all use their power to enrich themselves and advance their own interests at the expense of civil society. Laws notwithstanding, corruption undermines the title of law: To ensure the functioning of rule of law, it is vital that the integrity and independence of the judiciary and entire justice system are not subject to undue influence and illegal intervention.

The fourth pillar is freedom of expression. What people in civil society arc allied to say, print, distribute and discuss is indicative of the democratic nature of a political system. A free press is a measure of the freedom of expression in a society: Few governments have a genuinely easy relationship with a free press. Yet, despite all its shortcomings, a free-press, supported by open Internet access, is indispensable to keeping the public informed as part of a functioning democracy. Even in an established democracy, government may seek to manipulate a free-press into serving its own ends. Governments often conduct spin campaigns to advance their agenda and dilute the power of independent media. technology is unleashing powerful new forces through expansion of information dissemination and space for public discourse. In countries with authoritarian practices, freedom of information is high on the government s danger-list. These new forces have made

It much harder for governments to control the flow of information. The fact remains that even democratically-elected governments will go to great lengths to manipulate public opinion -- whether on in the print media or the Internet. State influence and control over the flow of information should give us pause. The trapping of democracy may appear healthy, but the freedom of information and press freedom are hollowed out, then democracy is compromised

The fifth pillar is accountability and transparency. This means that institutions of government and individuals in those institutions must he held accountable for their actions. A government must be accountable to the people who elected it. Furthermore, it must be accountable to an independent judiciary or other impartial institution established to check government action. Decisions must not advance the agendas of vested interest groups over rho public interest. Accountability and transparency have the same purpose: to protect citizens against misguided policies or decisions that enrich a few at the expense of the many. When these two guardian angels are compromised it is an alarm that good governance is at risk, and democracy is stalled.

The sixth pillar rests on local political empowerment.'1'he closer the, government is to the people governed; the more responsive that government is likely to be. At the same time, for decentralized democrac^y to work there must also be a decentralization of funding, material and human resources and institutional capability. Decentralization of the political process is another way to curl) the concentration of power and influence exercised by political forces. Citizens become more aware, interested and willing to participate in democracy when they see their officials as neighbors and what is at stake as something close to home. Civil society is the vital seventy pillars. An active civil society begins its engagement at the grassroots. Community forums, clubs, activist groups, charities, cooperatives, unions, think-tanks and associations fit under the broad umbrella of civil society. These groups are the participatory vehicles for sustaining grass-moss democracy.

The pillars of democracy outlined above are necessary but insufficient without leaders to build and maintain them. The qualities of leadership for sustainable democracy are to be found in those who act in an honest, transparent and accountable mariner. They are consensus builders, open minded and fai are committed to rustier and no advancing the public interest. And they are tolerant of opposing positions. . There is truth in bull statements. But in admitting our limitations, let us strive to avoid the mistakes of the past and look forward to a new generation of leaders who can build on lessons from the struggles of ordinary citizens for democracy. 

Source: B&FT