Opposition leaders in Côte d’Ivoire said on Wednesday they were appealing to South African President Thabo Mbeki over planned rules for the upcoming presidential election.
Their appeal to Mebeki, the African Union’s mediator for Côte d’Ivoire, arises from decrees by President Laurent Gbahgo giving responsibility for determining eligibility to vote, establishing lists and issuing electors’ cards to the existing National Institute of Statistics instead of the Independent Electoral Commission due to be set up by the end of the month.
The opposition says that the role attributed to the commission strips it of any real effectiveness.
Originally under the agreement between government and opposition the CEI was given a larger role as the only body responsible for the electoral process with the institute confined to an advisory role.
A presidential election is due to take place on October 31 in Côte d’Ivoire, effectively cut in two since September 2002 by a civil war. – Sapa-AFP