In Côte d’Ivoire, the African Peoples’ Party, the party of former President Laurent Gbagbo, organized a ceremony on Friday May 5 afternoon at the Palais de la Culture in Treichville, in Abidjan, to encourage its activists. They will seek the votes on September 2 in the municipal and regional elections. It was also an opportunity to announce the creation of an internal party body to detect possible fraud.
With our correspondent in Abidjan, Bineta Diagne
On stage, an official of the Youth League calls one by one the candidates selected by the party to stand in the municipal and regional elections.
In all, the PPA-CI, created only two years ago, presents 22 candidates for regional elections and 132 candidates for the communes. Faced with his supporters, Laurent Gbagbo tries to appease the activists who have not been selected: all must contribute to the party’s campaign.
” There were a lot of candidates, it’s a bit complicated. You have to arbitrate with your brain and with your heart. We must continue and we must move forward, go to battle and win “, had launched the former head of state.
The PPA-CI launched the “ Sentinels against electoral fraud “: an internal party body, which will carry out monitoring work on the conduct of the elections.
” Wherever there are candidates, the organization is made so that there is at least one sentinel, explains Ousmane Sy Savané, member of the central office of this body. They are the ones who will do the work, both assistance and monitoring in the field with our candidates. »
” The Anti-Fraud Sentinels of the Elections » has three objectives: to monitor, detect and report any malfunctions. Very soon, a website, a telephone line and a Facebook page will make it possible to collect any fraud alert, reported by citizens or by members of the PPA-CI.
” Not intended to replace the Céi »
This body consists of a central office, in which sit activists with expertise in connection with the electoral process, and party communication officers.
” It is each Ivorian who will be our eyes and ears throughout the country. From the housewife to the business manager, passing by the teacher and the student, each of our fellow citizens will be able to denounce all the frauds or attempted frauds of which he will have witnessed, explains Me Habiba Touré, the spokesperson for Laurent Gbagbo and at the head of the organ. Because we must all work together to protect our right to vote and to ensure that every vote is counted. We specify that we are not intended to replace the Independent Electoral Commission, we do not intervene in the organization of the electoral process, we do not interfere in any way in the missions and prerogatives of the CEI. »
This body intends to train local candidates in this monitoring work. These lists of candidates could still evolve, depending on possible electoral agreements, which are currently being negotiated, in particular with the party of ex-president Henri Konan Bédié.
” Each party gives itself the entities of its organization, but the management of the elections is the responsibility of the Independent Electoral Commission “, explains Emile Ebrottié, the spokesperson for the Céi. ” Anything that can go against the mission assigned to the CEI will not be able to prosper “, underlines this official.