Politics

Major opposition party, National Salvation Front, says it will boycott Tunisia’s December elections

Published

2 years ago

September 8, 2022

Tunisia’s major opposition party, the National Salvation Front in Tunisia (NSFT), has announced that it will boycott the country’s legislative elections scheduled to be held in December, after describing the electoral commission inaugurated by President Kais Saied last December as “not neutral”.

The leader of the NSFT, Ahmed Najib Chebbi, who disclosed this in a press conference in Tunis on Thursday, said his party will not participate in the polls as “the elections will be held under the supervision of an authority that has been revealed not to be neutral, but rather loyal to the state authority and cannot gain the trust of Tunisians.”

“For all these reasons, the NSFT decided not to engage with this coup and to resist its institutions.

“The NSFT supports holding early elections according to the 2014 constitution under the supervision of an independent Supreme Electoral Commission trusted by all.

“We extend our hands to all national forces to reach an agreement on a national salvation government that will address the social crisis,” Chebbi said.

Last December, Saied had dissolved the Tunisian Electoral Commission and went on to name new members made up of his loyalists, an action many opposition figures said was a coup against democracy and the constitution, as any election organised by the new body will not be free and fair.

Shortly after inaugurating the electoral body, Saied had gone ahead to release a roadmap for legislative elections to be held on December 17 this year.

Apart from dissolving the electoral body, Saied has gone ahead to impose extreme measures including dismissing the government and appointing a new one, dissolving the parliament and the Supreme Judicial Council, as well as issuing legislation by presidential decrees.

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.