Trade unions call stoppage to demand govt funds for election

Six of Benin’s seven trade union confederations on Tuesday began a two-day stoppage to demand that the government hand over funds needed for presidential elections next March. Schools and government offices ground to a halt and state television and radio broadcasts were cut back due to the strike call, but many businesses remained open as usual due to the refusal by the country’s biggest trade union, the CSTB, to sign on to the stoppage. The stop-work was the latest protest in weeks of political action aimed at forcing the government to hold the poll despite its claims late last year of a cash crunch. The president’s second term as head of state is set to expire at the beginning of April and he has promised to respect the constitution by not seeking a third mandate. But fears of a postponement of the vote have been running high, even triggering a drive by concerned individuals and parties across the political spectrum to dig into their own pockets to help fund the poll. A group of NGOs called the Republican Coalition for Citizens’ Action (CRAC) has launched a three-million CFA franc ($5,550) election support fund, while 13 political parties from across the spectrum set up their own coalition entitled “The Collective of Political Parties In Favour of Holding the Presidential Election on Schedule.” “Benin’s democracy is in danger,” said Sylvain Akindes of the Alliance for Democracy and Progress, which is close to President Mathieu Kerekou. “Benin’s future is at stake.” On Monday, the head of the National Election Commission (CENA), Sylvain Nouwatin, told trade union leaders that the government had failed to provide funding to pay the wages of staff who have begun registering voters for the poll. The CENA began the preparations for the much-awaited polls last weekend, with voters able to pick up their voting cards and register on the electoral roll at more than 7,000 registration centres until 6 February. But of the 10 billion CFA francs (US $20 million) needed by the CENA to organise the election, only half of the sum has been pledged – four billion CFA francs from the international community (US $8 million) and 1.04 billion CFA francs from the government – and not all of those funds are yet available in the commission’s coffers. So far some 30 people have applied to run for the country’s top job. Meanwhile, one of Kerekou’s longest allies and one of the country’s most prominent politicians has resigned over the election funding dispute. Defence Minister Pierre Osho, often viewed as a potential successor to Kerekou, handed in his resignation on 11 January and did not apply to run for the presidency. “I had no other choice but to distance myself from a government team whose lack of coherence and attacks on the constitution by certain members, severely undermined the rigorous, responsible and transparent management of the 2006 elections,” he said in his letter of resignation.