allAfrica.com: Côte d'Ivoire: American Embassy's National Daily Press Review (Page 1 of 1)

This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

Many Ivorian newspapers today predicated that President Laurent Gbagbo's plan to form a new cabinet would be high on the agenda, as the Ivorian leader is expected to hold talks with his Burkinabe counterpart during a three-day state visit scheduled for July 27-29. The papers also reported that the Rally of the Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) - a coalition of four major opposition parties - are meeting on the current social and political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire. The identification process in preparation of the upcoming presidential election was the other news that dominated front-page stories in the Ivorian newspapers.

1. Soir Info (an independent daily): The paper published an official communique announcing that President Laurent Gbagbo is expected in Ouagadougou July 27-29, 2008 as part of a State visit to Burkina Faso at the invitation of his Burkinabe counterpart, Blaise Compaore, who is also the facilitator in the Ivorian peace process. During this visit, Gbagbo and Compaore will have a tete-a-tete; the paper quoted the communique as saying. It asserted that the Ivorian leader would use this opportunity to discuss with the facilitator "his intention to change the composition of the current government." The paper recalled that a few days ago, President Gbagbo called for "a new cabinet whose members will be effectively prepared to help push forward the peace process." The paper suggested that during his visit to Burkina Faso, "Gbagbo would seek to have the blessing of the facilitator in order to move forward with his Prime Minister."

2. While speculations over the cabinet reshuffle continue, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) enumerated what it called "obstacles that could prevent Gbagbo from restructuring the cabinet." The paper commented that after the furor sparked by Gbagbo's threat to change the current government, now the big question is "how the President is going to dissolve a government that was formed after the Ouagadougou Political Agreement without denying the same accord." The paper also suggested that this plan would "jeopardize the other institutions that were set up following the signing of this agreement," adding that President Compaore, according to reliable sources, has expressed "his reserve" over this issue.

3. L'inter (an independent daily): A front-page story in this paper said that the leadership of the Rally of the Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) is meeting today in the central city of Daoukro to adopt "a common strategy" in response to the current crisis generated by the high cost of living and the decision by President Gbagbo to reshuffle the cabinet. According to the paper, the ruling FPI is also meeting today with the press to announce the parties' positions regarding recent developments in this country.

4. As the Rally of the Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace is meeting, Fraternite Matin (a state-owned) questioned "the cohesion" within the opposition alliance. The commentator said that the dilemma facing the Ivorian opposition groups today is "to be or not be in the government." It went on to say that many political observers believe that the recent strikes following the hikes in petrol prices and President Gbagbo's recent statement would seriously endanger efforts to implement the Ouagadougou Political Agreement. However, the commentary concluded, the same observers speak optimistically about Gbagbo's next visit to Burkina Faso, which, they said, could help find an appropriate solution to the crisis.

5. In an editorial entitled "victory" relating to recent political developments in Cote d'Ivoire, Fraternite Matin said: "On the political ground, Gbagbo has won a big victory, not for himself but for the whole Nation. By traveling to Seguela and Vavoua, he [Gbagbo] has confirmed to the national and international communities the State's supremacy over the entire country."

6. Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party): A prominent story in this paper said the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) and SAGEM were not able to convince President Gbagbo yesterday when the French company, which was tasked to conduct the identification of Ivorians in the perspective of the forthcoming presidential elections, presented its plan of operation to the president. According to the paper, President Gbagbo, who was concerned about the delay of the identification process, asked the institutions in charge of this program "to speed up the process" in order to meet the November 30 deadline.

web allafrica.com	Enter your search terms	Submit search form
OR subscribers use AllAfrica's premium search engine


Use our pull-down menus to find more stories

Today's Most Active Stories