Press Review of 2 May 2006

Today's local papers mainly focus on the electoral calendar issued by the Independent Electoral Commission and yesterday's press conference held by the Catholic Bishop Monsengwo.

The so-much expected electoral calendar was finally issued last Sunday by the Independent Electoral Commission. The calendar provides for the holding of the "presidential and legislative elections on 30 July 2006," says La Référence Plus. It stipulates, "30-day period for the electoral campaign, starting from Thursday 29 June up to Friday, 28 July 2006, midnight," writes L'Observateur, indicating, "the issuance of the calendar is indicative of the organising power's resolve to carry through the electoral process...." This is "a step forward for the Transition," says Le Potentiel.

The Independent Electoral Commission CEI has not however "set the date for the second tour of the presidential elections or has it been explicit in respect of the timing on the holding of the provincial and local elections," highlights Le Phare. "This is not the first calendar or the last the CEI would have issued," predicts the paper, indicating, the incomplete calendar "was published for the sake of attending to the most urgent matters to enable the power to justify the new elongation of the transition."

Yet, "any transition's elongation must be the fruit of political consensus," says Le Potentiel, echoing Bishop Monsengwo, the Head of the "Conférence épiscopale du Congo". The prelate told the press conference on Monday "in view of the impossibility of holding the elections by 30 June 2006, as planned in the all-inclusive agreement and Transition's constitution, any readjustment of the electoral calendar must not be made unilaterally," explains the paper, echoing the Head of the "Conférence Episcopale du Congo."

"Obviously, the Catholic Prelate's steps is to be seen in the context of an extra constitutional scheme ignoring the country's laws in favour of personal interests," says L'Avenir, commenting on Bishop Monsengwo's statement. "The political forces which Bishop Monsengwo referred to when calling for the talks are already holding negotiations within the CEI, the Parliament, the Presidential Circle, the Government...," argues the paper. In the same vein, Le Palmarès recalls, "there already exists a framework for talks known as Forum des partis politiques."