Press Review of 8 February 2006 [1]

10 Mar 2009

Press Review of 8 February 2006

Several subjects make the headlines of today's local press.

Electoral law is to be adopted this Thursday. "MPs and Senators completed yesterday the work on the amendment and review, article by article, of the bill on the organisation of the presidential, legislative, provincial, urban, municipal and local elections," reports L'Observateur. It is now up to the "joint commission to harmonize the final text in light of the relevant remarks formulated by the Independent Electoral Commission over some clauses," says L'Avenir. "Under the article 5 of the constitution adopted by the December referendum; the minimum age of the candidates for the president's office is set at 30, that of MPs at 25 and the Governor 18," reports L'Avenir.

Le Phare sees a possibility of the "prolongation of the Transition," in spite of "the successful registration operations and massive yes at the referendum," citing a very tight schedule." The paper wonders "what is going to happen if no elections are held by 30th June 2006?"

To effectively secure the upcoming elections, "the United Nations [need] an operation the like of Arthemis II," reports L'Observateur. "European Union is still divided over the troop-deployment issue in DRC," says the paper, indicating, "member States of the European Union have already agreed on the principle of the deployment [this is proof that] they can intervene militarily without NATO's assistance; European Union envisages testing the efficiency of its famous battle groups in DRC, with 1,500 troops contributed by several member States of the European Union," says L'Observateur, echoing an expert of the European Union in Brussels.

In their memo to MONUC and the International Committee for the Support of the Transition (CIAT), UDPS members "condemn their silence and duplicity over the Power's deliberate intention to exclude their party and leader, Etienne Tshisekedi from the current electoral process," reports Le Palmarès. Recalling that "There are limits to every patience," they declared they will not tolerate that UDPS and its leader be "excluded from the electoral process, and his 25-year struggle for democracy in DRC be merely ignored," warns Le Phare.

In another development, Le Potentiel refers to the principle of impartiality and neutrality that should be observed by media houses, alluding to the abusive live transmission of PPRD (President Kabila's political party)'s congress by the National Radio and Television. As a result, "all political programs of the DRC National Radio and Television (RTNC) were suspended by the High Media Authority for 48-hour."

Press Reviews 2006 [2]