Monday, November 28, 2011

Egypt's military ruler warns of ?grave? consequences if crisis continues

On the eve of landmark elections, Egypt's military ruler warned Sunday of ?extremely grave? consequences if the turbulent nation does not pull through its current crisis ? an attempt to rally the public behind his council of generals in the face of pressure from protesters to step down immediately.

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Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi urged voters to turn out for the start of parliamentary elections Monday despite the chaos in the streets after nine days of protests and clashes that some have dubbed a ?second revolution.? The vote will be the first since Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February in a popular uprising and it was meant to usher in democracy after decades of dictatorship. However, it has already been marred by the new wave of demonstrations.

Mr. Tantawi claimed ?foreign hands? were behind the latest wave of unrest. His assertions were similar to those made by Mr. Mubarak in the final days before he was ousted. Mr. Mubarak frequently warned chaos would ensue if his regime fell, presenting his authoritarian rule as the alternative of order and security. Mr. Tantawi was Mr. Mubarak's defence minister for 20 years.

?We will not allow troublemakers to meddle in the elections,? he said in comments carried by the nation's official news agency. ?Egypt is at a crossroads ? either we succeed politically, economically and socially or the consequences will be extremely grave and we will not allow that.?

The military took power when Mr. Mubarak stepped down. But it has come under intense criticism for most of the past nine months for its failure to restore security, stop the rapid worsening of the economy or introduce the far-reaching reforms called for by the youth groups behind Mr. Mubarak's fall and the ongoing protest movement. Mr. Tantawi rejected calls for the ruling military council to immediately step down.

His warning came as thousands of protesters were filling Cairo's Tahrir Square for another massive demonstration demanding the military give up power in favour of a civilian presidential council and a ?national salvation? government to run the country's affairs until a president is elected.

It was the ninth straight day of a revival of the protest movement that toppled Mr. Mubarak. At least 41 protesters have been killed in and more than 2,000 have been wounded, most of them in Cairo.

At the same time, Egyptians were preparing to vote amid the chaos. With protesters in the streets, there are fears of violence at polling stations. And the population is sharply polarized and confused over the nation's direction.

Islamic parties are expected to dominate the election, but the political crisis casts doubt on the legitimacy of the vote and could render the parliament that emerges irrelevant.

?I am not going to vote tomorrow because everyone who is running is a thief and only cares for the seat they want to sit in,? said Abu Ahmed, a 36-year-old fruit vendor in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. ?Many times they've tried to buy my vote with a bag of food or money. They know that I'm poor and they want to take advantage of me. I don't read or write, but I know that Tantawi needs to go,? he said.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the largest and best organized political group in Egypt, is expected to dominate the elections along with its Islamist allies. The group has stayed away from the current wave of protests, careful not to do anything that would derail the vote.

However, the military has said the next parliament will have limited powers, and suggested that it will retain the right to appoint and dismiss the Cabinet. The issue promises to put the military and the Brotherhood on a collision course. A dispute between the two could destabilize the country further, adding to economic and security woes.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-International/~3/P6dcSymgwvQ/

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Congo officials: vote to proceed after clashes

Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Etienne Tshisekedi are caught between tear gas fired by Congolese riot police and armed Presidential guardsmen at Kinshasa Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. Two people were killed in pre-vote clashes Saturday in Congo's capital before the critical Presidential poll Monday Nov. 28 that observers say could re-ignite conflict in the vast central African nation. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Etienne Tshisekedi are caught between tear gas fired by Congolese riot police and armed Presidential guardsmen at Kinshasa Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. Two people were killed in pre-vote clashes Saturday in Congo's capital before the critical Presidential poll Monday Nov. 28 that observers say could re-ignite conflict in the vast central African nation. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Etienne Tshisekedi are caught between tear gas fired by Congolese riot police and armed Presidential guardsmen at Kinshasa Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. Two people were killed in pre-vote clashes Saturday in Congo's capital before the critical Presidential poll Monday, Nov. 28 that observers say could re-ignite conflict in the vast central African nation. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - A supporter of Congolese President Joseph Kabila lays dead during clashes with supporters of opposition presidential candidate Etienne Tshisekedi on the airport road in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday Nov. 26, 2011. Two people were killed in pre-vote clashes Saturday in Congo's capital before the critical Presidential poll Monday, Nov. 28 that observers say could re-ignite conflict in the vast central African nation. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - A dead supporter of Congolese President Joseph Kabila is carried away from the clash scene with supporters of opposition presidential candidate Etienne Tshisekedi on the airport road in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday Nov. 26, 2011. Two people were killed in pre-vote clashes Saturday in Congo's capital before the critical Presidential poll Monday, Nov. 28 that observers say could re-ignite conflict in the vast central African nation. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Etienne Tshisekedi are caught between tear gas fired by Congolese riot police and armed Presidential guardsmen at Kinshasa Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. Two people were killed in pre-vote clashes Saturday in Congo's capital before the critical Presidential poll Monday, Nov. 28 that observers say could re-ignite conflict in the vast central African nation. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

(AP) ? Election officials in Congo said Sunday that a critical national poll would go ahead Monday, after a weekend marred by deadly clashes at political gatherings, reports of delayed ballots and fears that the vote could re-ignite conflict in the large, mineral-rich central African nation.

Daniel Ngoy Mulunda, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission, said Sunday the vote would take place. Commission Vice President Jacques Ndjoli said separately: "We invite our people to go vote calmly."

At least four people were killed in Saturday's clashes when political supporters headed to Kinshasa's main airport to welcome their candidate. Main opposition candidate Etienne Tshisekedi arrived; the president ? who is expected to win the poll ? did not pass through as expected.

Scuffles erupted and security forces at the airport fired tear gas and live ammunition into the burgeoning crowd. Riot police manned the airport for hours afterward to prevent Tshisekedi and his convoy from leaving.

Police inspector general Charles Bisengimana said four bodies were recovered and taken to a morgue on Sunday, and said opposition supporters attacked the president's supporters. He also blamed Tshisekedi for refusing to leave the airport.

Tshisekedi said Sunday that more than 10 people were killed and 68 were wounded. He said three of the dead were members of his office and were killed by police, but he did not give details on the others. Later Sunday, Godefroid Mayobo, an official from a party allied with President Joseph Kabila, said their supporters were attacked by Tshisekedi's supporters, leaving three dead. And two dead bodies were seen on the road leading to the airport when clashes erupted there.

The European Union's election observation mission criticized police in a statement released Sunday.

The EU mission said it "considers the police operation that took place last night at (Kinshasa's) airport against the convoy of a presidential candidate and the arrests that were made as a serious breach of the right to campaign and the principle of equality that should prevail."

Saturday's violence prompted officials to ban political rallies and gatherings before the election. A defiant Tshisekedi said Sunday that he planned to hold an afternoon public meeting at Kinshasa's Martyrs' Stadium, but the meeting did not happen.

The EU mission also said it "regrets that the last days of the electoral campaign were spoiled by many serious incidents and violent clashes which unfortunately cost human lives, especially in Kinshasa. The mission deplores the chaotic and improvised management of the last political meetings by many presidential candidates, by the Kinshasa authorities which restrained freedom of opinion, meetings and demonstrations."

Human rights groups had expressed fears about an atmosphere of spiraling violence and hate speech ahead of the vote.

The violence is just one of the numerous challenges that could derail the vote and re-ignite conflict.

As of Friday, many polling stations had not yet received the necessary voting materials, after least 33 of the 80 planes carrying voting materials to the provinces were unable to take off because of bad weather.

Election experts said it was unlikely the ballots would reach the remote interior in time in a country with so few paved roads, and where there are some 60,000 polling stations spread out over a territory the size of Western Europe.

"We have been trying to sound the alarm but to no avail," said Jerome Bonso, coordinator of the Coalition for Peaceful and Transparent Elections.

It's the country's first election since the landmark 2006 vote which was considered the country's first democratic vote in 40 years, but was marred by weeks of street battles led by supporters of the losing candidate.

Congo's history of back-to-back wars also provides a backdrop. Kabila, a former rebel leader, first took control of the country a decade ago, after the 2001 assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila, who ruled Congo after overthrowing dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997.

He was elected president in 2006, a vote which was overseen and organized by the U.N. The runner-up was former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba, now on trial at the Hague. He refused to accept defeat, unleashing his private army on the capital, leading to weeks of street battles.

___

Associated Press writer Rukmini Callimachi contributed to this report from Kinshasa, Congo.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-27-AF-Congo-Election/id-c88f4f98c0d7480b8ade4fc471a705e1

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