Referendum confirmed for this Sunday 18 December, writes FORUM DES AS on its front page, echoing yesterday's press conference held by the head of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), Father Apollinaire Malu Malu. "Polling stations are due to remain open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.," the paper says. "Referring to the 19 December, CEI reserves the right to extend the ballot until Monday 19 December 2005, if for one reason or another, the polling stations are unable to serve the long queues of voters," says FORUM DES AS, echoing Father Malu Malu.

North Katanga is being cleared of its population, one week away from the holding of the constitutional referendum, headlines LE PHARE. The last statistics issued by the humanitarian community suggests "over 36,000 internally displaced persons in
North Katanga
as from November 2005, caused by the tracking operations launched by the FARDC against the Maï-Maï warriors." The paper says such a population flow will be an obstacle to the referendum, denouncing CEI's silence "over the clauses on the people living far away from identification and registration centers and who may be unable to reach the polling station on the referendum day," and deplores the Commission's insistence "that each voter must discharge their civic duty where they got registered."

Each voter is free to vote ''yes '', if they approve the constitution and ''no'', if they don't, reports FORUM
DES AS.
However, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES already denounces Intimidations against those in favor of "No," citing the example of the leader of a political party known as "Congo pour la Justice (C.Just.)", Pastor Théodore Ngoy, "who called on the Congolese people to reject the draft constitution (and as a result) is under threat of being arrested." According to a communiqué issued by Human Rights NGOs, nine armed elements in civilian and military clothes broke into Pastor Ngoy's residence when participating on a television program hosted by a private channel HORIZON 33. The Minister of Interior, Théophile Mbemba Fundu summoned the Pastor to inform him that "the armed men came to his residence to verify the presence of the police officers who allegedly deserted the army," relates the paper. "This key figure of PPRD (President Joseph Kabila's party) used the opportunity, according to Mr. Ngoy's close aids, relayed by Human Rights NGOs, to utter threats to his interlocutor for having criticised president Kabila's approach on the nationality issue." Was it just a minor fact or mere blunder, or yet an attempt to intimidate those in favour of ''no'', wonders LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES? "It is up to everyone to interpret the last Friday story the way they want," writes the paper. This man, being one of those in favour of ''no'' "has since then begun living clandestinely, for fear of being arrested."

LE PALMARES, for its part, reports on the campaign led by those in favour of ''yes'', notably, the "Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (PPRD) and writes on its front page Vital Kamerhe widely enthusiastic yesterday when addressing a crowd of PPRD members in a stadium. He urged them to vote "yes'' to make the elections to happen, and advised them against voting ''no'', which according to him will throw back the whole process to square one," declared the Secretary-General of president Kabila's party, echoed by the paper.

Another supporter of the ''yes'', the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) led by the Vice-president in charge of the Political, Defense and Security Commission Azarias Ruberwa, called on the Congolese people, when RCD is holding its first national congress, to vote in favor of "yes'' on 18 December for the transition to end on 30 June 2006," writes LE PALMARES.

Ruberwa heading for the presidential elections, announces LE PHARE on its front page, echoing RCD's national congress. The congress is due to select "candidates to represent RDC at the presidential elections and others at every level." The paper further says, "Except a last minute change, the Vice-President and leader of RCD will stand for the 2006 presidential elections."

The paper also refers to "a spate of revelations" within the "Mouvement de Libération du Congo (MLC)" after the rupture of relations between Vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, MLC leader, and Olivier Kamitatu, MLC Secretary general. The latter has been removed by the party. Under the headline: MLC's top-secret documents out in the street, LE PHARE alludes to revelations made by Guy Solo Mananga who describes himself as one of the founding members of the former rebel movement and who in the past fell out with Mr. Bemba over an "embezzlement of 120 m3 of gasoil in Sep-Congo warehouse in Aluka, Equator province)." Guy served twenty two months in prison for having denounced exactions (thefts, rapes, racketing) committed by Ugandan officers and troops on the populations of Equateur. Moreover, Mr. Guy has called on Olivier Kamitatu to "stand firm" and on the other members of MLC "to stay on board but continue to fight for the promotion of a federative leadership." The paper sees this declaration as a call for overthrowing Jean-Pierre Bemba who should now "fight for his political survival."

Another top secret dossier revealed by the same paper relates to the running of the National Assembly by Olivier Kamitatu. LE PHARE reveals that the number of missions increased from "1 to 10, targeting the speaker of the National Assembly,'' writes the paper which further says: "the lesson givers have failed to show their credentials." The paper therefore predicts, in light of the "the credibility-undermining elements" having burst onto the political scene, that, "the upcoming electoral campaign will be stormy."

LE POTENTIEL headlines on the draft electoral law: Parity-based and closed lists: the bone of contention. The draft list based on man-woman parity and the one providing for seats for both the majority and the minority will constitute the major issue for this Monday's stormy discussions at the National Assembly. According to some MPs, a closed list will reduce the margin of manoeuvre of candidates and political parties, favour exclusion, and cause prejudice to political parties. They rather opt for open and nominal lists. According to DRC's foreign partners, "No political party shall win alone the majority in the upcoming elections, predicting a mushrooming of alliances." LE POTENTIEL reveals rumors that a broad-base government will be formed after the elections "to avoid exclusion and to protect the minorities." The foreign partners are "persuaded that this approach is the best; and on this basis accept to continue providing financial contributions for safe elections to culminate in the formation of a broad-base government," reports the paper. According to the same rumours, foreign partners have warned against opting for the open and nominal lists denounced by some MPs.