West African economic union supports elections

The economic and monetary union of West Africa (UEMOA) is to give a US $2.7 million grant to support arrangements for Guinea-Bissau's parliamentary elections due to take place on 12 October, after being postponed three times, the head of UEMOA's commission, Moussa Toure, told IRIN on Thursday. Toure disclosed the grant on Monday after meeting with President Kumba Yala in the capital, Bissau. UEMOA brings together eight countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. Guinea-Bissau's parliamentary elections were scheduled for February but were postponed to April and later to July. Following a visit by a UN Security Council mission two weeks ago, Yala announced the new date of 12 October. A diplomatic source in Bissau told IRIN recently that Yala, who dissolved parliament last November, announced the new election date under pressure from the Security Council mission. On Wednesday, the mission briefed the Council, saying that the West African situation was still fragile and needed commitment from its authorities and support from the international community to prevent it from going backwards, with implications for the entire region. "The international community must support the process to prevent a catastrophe. The Council must be vigilant and not passive", the head of the mission's visit to the country Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, told the Council in New York. Prior to leaving the country, Zinser said, the delegation was given "clear signs" that the authorities would fully respect the result of the elections, and promulgate the country's constitution once the National Assembly was in place. The diplomatic source however said the "money issue" remained of great concern. A stalemate between the government and the international community had developed, he added, with the latter demanding that the government fulfill a minimum requirement to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The head of the country's National Electoral Commission (CNE), Higinio Cardoso, also told journalists recently that it could be difficult to complete all the "necessary preparations" by October. Cardoso said there might still be difficulties in drawing up a new voters' register and raising the necessary finance to hold elections by the new date. The European Commission however reported in June it had approved an equivalent of US $1.3 million to support the polls, the Portuguese news agency LUSA reported. The UN Development Programme and Portugal are among foreign donors who have also made financial contributions for the elections. According to Toure, lack of funds was now less an obstacle to the organisation of the polls, than outstanding political issues. Meanwhile, five opposition parties in Guinea-Bissau on Monday warned that conditions for a "free and fair" parliamentary elections did not exist in the country yet. In a joint statement the parties accused Yala of not responding "credibly" to international calls for "fair and transparent elections", LUSA reported on Tuesday. "Without concrete pledges to secure overseas finance and guarantee the election's credibility, there will be no ballot that is not fraudulent," the statement said. The statement was signed by African Party for the Independence of Guinea (PAIGC), the United Platform (PU) coalition and three smaller opposition groups. Yala was elected in 2000 after his predecessor was overthrown in a coup which led to a year-long civil war in this former Portuguese colony of 1.3 million people.