Politics

Kenya: Govt, opposition begin talks over election review, cost of living

Published

1 year ago

August 10, 2023

The Kenyan government has begun discussions to resolve bitter political feud between it and the opposition following deadly demonstrations over the high cost of living and calls for electoral reforms.

The talks are holding at the Bomas of Kenya, a tourist site in Nairobi that was also the venue for the announcement of the results of the tightly contested poll held a year ago.

The discourse will be conducted by a 10-member joint committee, but no timeframe has been set for the talks’ duration, and the exact agenda that will be the subject of contention.

Since March, veteran opposition leader, Raila Odinga has organized ten days of protests, most of which have been marred by violent run-ins with the law, to call for an audit of the election that put President William Ruto in office and against recent tax reforms that have raised the cost of living.

Official statistics indicate that at least 20 people have died in the conflicts, but human rights activists believe the number to be significantly higher.

Odinga has argued that the government could have sought debt rescheduling, both domestic and external, instead of high taxes. He has also condemned the process that birthed the new tax laws. According to him, the Kenyan parliament used an “artificial majority” to pass Finance Act through the house, and the opposition stood no chance to shoot it down.

Eugene Wamalwa, a member of the opposition delegation, Azimio, told journalists shortly before the official opening of the talks that they “have looked forward to this day and are very hopeful that these talks will unlock the past stalemate.”

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

4 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.