Category: Government Policy

MOGADISHU — Somali leaders have agreed to conclude the long-delayed parliamentary and presidential elections by February 25. Somalia’s international partners on Monday welcomed the deal but a political stand-off between the president and prime minister has some Somalis still skeptical.

According to Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimu, the spokesman of the prime minister, all involved in the electoral process should respect the rules in order to move forward.

He said in order to safeguard the close coordination of the electoral body, the national consultative council calls upon various levels of the poll management agency to respect the rules and regulations as per the existing electoral agreements. He added the council reiterates respect for the 30 percent quota of seats to be held for women in the ongoing process.

The indirect polls were supposed to be held more than a year ago, but were delayed by disputes over how they would be conducted. More recently, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble have been at odds over election procedures, heightening the political tensions.

Residents of the capital Mogadishu who witnessed tensions linked to the electoral impasse have welcomed the deal.

Liban Mohamed said the new agreement reached is great because it brings together both Somali leadership and the people and we pray for its successive implementation.

However, many analysts are skeptical about the deal, especially the timeline.

Omar Abdulle is a political analyst and lecturer of political science and international relations at SIMAD university in Mogadishu.

He said the deal is generally welcomed but it will face three main challenges including the timeline set to conclude the parliamentary polls with 45 days. Secondly, the dispute resolution committee where the difference between president and prime minister started; and thirdly the agreement does not make it clear who will select the tribal leaders, which will result in conflict later.

The U.N. office in Somalia has urged Somali leaders to avoid provocations that risk new tensions or conflict and stay focused on delivering a credible electoral process quickly for the benefit of all.

Source: Voice of America

NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA — Mauritanian authorities have released former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on bail for medical reasons, the justice ministry said on Friday, amid an investigation into allegations of high-level corruption during his time in office.

Abdel Aziz, 65, who stepped down in 2019 after serving two five-year terms, was moved from house arrest to state custody in June. He has previously denied the corruption allegations.

In late December he was admitted to a hospital in the capital, Nouakchott, for heart treatment, and his family has called for his evacuation abroad.

The justice ministry said the bail decision was based on a doctor’s report that Abdel Aziz needed a stress-free environment and a special diet.

He will remain under judicial and medical supervision, it said in a statement.

His lawyer Mohameden Ichidou welcomed the move as “a step forward which will allow us to continue to demand the release of an innocent man who is seriously ill.”

Abdel Aziz came to power in Mauritania, a vast desert country of fewer than 5 million people, in a 2008 coup and was an important ally of Western powers fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel region.

He was replaced by a political ally, current president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, but quickly found that his government’s actions, including deals on offshore oil projects, came under scrutiny by parliament.

Former prime minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Sidiya and his entire government resigned amid the parliamentary investigation into the allegations last year.

Source: Voice of America

BEIJING, Using Xinjiang-related issues as an excuse, to force multinational companies to pick a side between China and the United States, is out-and-out political coercion, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, yesterday.

Tadashi Yanai, founder of Japan’s clothing retail giant, Uniqlo, said, his company refused to comment on whether Uniqlo uses cotton sourced from China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as he wanted to be neutral between China and the United States. He said, the U.S. approach was to force companies to show their allegiance, and Uniqlo won’t play that game.

In response, the spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, told a news briefing that, the United States had repeatedly stirred up rumours and troubles on Xinjiang-related issues. In essence, it is trying to contain China’s development and undermine the prosperity and stability in Xinjiang.

Forcing multinational companies to take sides and show allegiance to the United States is blatant political coercion, against market rules and business ethics, Wang said. “This will not only damage the interests and national credibility of the U.S. but also undermine the stability of supply chains and disrupt the international trade order.”

“Xinjiang cotton is pure white and of high quality, and the people in Xinjiang are hardworking and capable. We believe that more and more enterprises can distinguish right from wrong, rid themselves of political disruption, and make business decisions independently,” he added.

Source: Nam News network

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Authorities in Cameroon say thousands of people have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine so they can attend the continent’s top soccer tournament, the Africa Football Cup of Nations, or AFCON, which begins January 9. Organizers are putting out the word that even if they have been vaccinated, fans will also need to present a negative test to enter stadiums.

Motorcycle taxi drivers assemble and wait to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at Messasi Hospital in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde.

Among them is 29-year-old Gabriel Ndze, vice president of the local taxi drivers association.

Ndze says he wants to see the AFCON matches, and this is the only way.

“I am not taking the vaccine because I really trust it. No. My main problem is to get to the field, see players like Sadio Mane from Senegal, Mohamed Salah from Egypt and all of those strikers that play in Europe. I have been hearing about them but I have not seen them. This is an opportunity for me to take my vaccine, then get to the field to see them. Most of the people are taking this vaccine now just because of the Nations Cup,” he said.

Ndze said the taxi drivers association has been encouraging members who want to see the AFCON matches to voluntarily get the COVID-19 vaccine.

He said at least 300 motorcycle taxi riders have been vaccinated.

Hotels, restaurants and bus companies are also urging their staff to get the jab, so they are eligible to interact with the thousands of people coming to Cameroon for AFCON.

Fans are required to be vaccinated as well. Last month, the government said access to stadiums will depend on presentation of vaccination cards.

The Confederation of African Football, or CAF, said fans will also be expected to show proof of negative COVID-19 test results that are not more than 24 hours old.

Those who do not have test results can be tested for COVID-19 at the entrance to football stadiums.

Dr. Georges Alain Etoundi Mballa, director of pandemics and epidemics at Cameroon’s public health ministry, says besides increasing the number of vaccination centers, Cameroon has imported several million COVID-19 vaccine doses from China, Europe and America so that AFCON can be played in excellent sanitary and health conditions.

He says most people who are getting the vaccine tell vaccination teams that they do not want to miss AFCON, which is the most coveted football event in Africa.

All soccer fans, players and officials coming from abroad are being tested for COVID-19 at airports, seaports and roads upon arrival in Cameroon. People testing positive for the virus are isolated or taken to hospitals for treatment.

Authorities have not said how many visiting fans, players and match officials have been tested positive.

Source: Voice of America

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has been in the post since 2020

MOGADISHU, Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has suspended the prime minister, who is facing allegations of involvement in the theft of land.

Mohamed Hussein Roble accused the president of trying to stage a coup, and said he would continue in office.

He urged the security forces to take orders from him rather than Farmajo.

Troops loyal to the president earlier failed to block Roble from entering his office in the capital Mogadishu, the prime minister’s allies said.

The two men have been involved in a long-running power struggle, raising fears of further instability in Somalia.

The US embassy in Somalia urged the leaders “to refrain from provocative actions, and avoid violence”.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Siad Barre in 1991.

The country is marred by disputes between rival politicians and clans. It is also battling an insurgency by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate.

Farmajo’s term officially ended in February but was extended because of disagreements over how to choose a new president.

A complex election for parliament, which involves clan elders choosing MPs, has been under way since November. It was supposed to have concluded by Dec 24 but the deadline was missed.

The two leaders have accused each other of undermining the elections.

Farmajo said he was suspending the prime minister pending the outcome of an investigation into the corruption allegations.

Roble was recently accused of being involved, along with other officials, in the misappropriation and theft of military-owned land in Mogadishu. He denied the allegation.

In a tweet after Farmajo’s statement, the prime minister’s office said he was carrying on with his day-to-day duties “as usual”, and he remained committed to an “acceptable electoral process that culminates in a peaceful transfer of power”.

Roble later told a press conference that the president was attempting to carry out a coup “against the government, the constitution, and the rules of the country”.

“I order all of the armed forces to directly take orders from the government… the office of the prime minister,” he said in a statement broadcast live on Somali National TV.

The two leaders first clashed in April when Farmajo extended his term in office, resulting in a stand-off between troops loyal to the two men in Mogadishu.

The pair clashed again in September when Farmajo stripped Roble of his power to hire and fire officials, but later reinstated them.

Source: Nam News Network

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden will speak by phone Thursday with his Russian counterpart, a senior administration official said Wednesday, adding the American leader will seek a diplomatic solution to escalating tension along Russia’s border with Ukraine.

“We are prepared for diplomacy and for a diplomatic path forward,” the official told reporters Wednesday. “But we are also prepared to respond if Russia advances with a further invasion of Ukraine.”

The call, requested by Russian President Vladimir Putin, comes ahead of highly anticipated high-level talks in Geneva on January 10. Neither president is expected to participate in those talks, the official said.

This marks the second call this month between the two men, who also spoke in early December over what were then some 70,000 troops gathered on the Russian side of the border, according to intelligence estimates from satellite images. But U.S. intelligence analysts predict that Putin plans to mass as many as 175,000 troops.

The U.S. repeatedly has assured Ukraine of its support, and provided tens of millions of dollars in security assistance. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In a statement, Blinken said he “reiterated the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s borders.”

The White House has said, repeatedly, that there will be “significant consequences” if Russia invades. Those include harsh economic sanctions and increased security support for Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Zelenskiy tweeted: “I was assured of full [U.S.] support for [Ukraine] in countering Russian aggression.” He used flag emojis to indicate the countries.

Blinken also spoke with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany on “coordination to deter any further Russian aggression against Ukraine,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

The Western foreign ministers “affirmed the consensus among allies and partners to impose massive consequences and severe costs on Russia for such actions,” Price said in a statement.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the call set for Thursday, adding it would take place in the evening Russian time. On Wednesday Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin called the heads of state in key neighbors Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus.

A spokesperson from the National Security Council told VOA the U.S. is relying on its alliances in the region to reach a diplomatic solution.

“We are unified as an alliance on the consequences Russia would face if it moves on Ukraine,” said the spokesperson, who asked to speak on background when discussing current U.S. policy. “But we are also unified in our willingness to engage in principled diplomacy with Russia. … We will adhere to the principle of ‘nothing about our Allies and partners without our Allies and partners, including Ukraine.'”

Administration officials have declined to respond publicly to Moscow’s demands, which include that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and that the security alliance reduces its deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

On Wednesday, the senior administration official said: “Our view is that we can make most progress, actually at the negotiating table sitting across from one another behind closed doors and in close consultation with our allies and partners. So we don’t have any current plans to go publish a document or a draft agreement the way that the Russian side has done.”

Meanwhile, some analysts say they doubt Putin’s moves will actually culminate in an invasion. National University of Kyiv Professor Taras Kuzio is one of several analysts who believes that an actual invasion would be costly, lengthy and bloody – and therefore, unlikely.

“If Putin attempts to crush Ukraine with overwhelming military force, he could end up losing the country forever, while also sparking anti-government unrest inside Russia with the potential to threaten the survival of his entire regime,” he wrote. “For a man who has already lived through the collapse of one empire, this might be a risk he is not prepared to take.”

Source: Voice of America

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law Monday, authorizing $768.2 billion in military spending, including a 2.7% pay raise for service members, for 2022.

The NDAA authorizes a 5% increase in military spending and is the product of intense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over issues ranging from reforms of the military justice system to COVID-19 vaccine requirements for soldiers.

“The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families and includes critical authorities to support our country’s national defense,” Biden said in a statement.

The $768.2 billion price tag marks $25 billion more than Biden initially requested from Congress, a prior proposal that was rejected by members of both parties out of concerns it would undermine U.S. efforts to keep pace militarily with China and Russia.

The new bill passed earlier this month with bipartisan support, with Democrats and Republicans touting wins in the final package.

Democrats applauded provisions in the bill overhauling how the military justice system handles sexual assault and other related crimes, effectively taking prosecutorial jurisdiction over such crimes out of the hands of military commanders.

Republicans, meanwhile, touted success in blocking an effort to add women to the draft, as well as the inclusion of a provision that bars dishonorable discharges for service members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.

The bill includes $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and a statement of congressional support for the defense of Taiwan, measures intended to counteract China’s influence in the region.

It also includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a show of support in the face of Russian aggression, as well as $4 billion for the European Defense Initiative.

In his statement, the president also outlined a number of provisions his administration opposes over what he characterized as “constitutional concerns or questions of construction.”

Those planks include provisions that restrict the use of funds to transfer or release individuals detained at the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which the Biden administration is moving to close. Biden’s statement said the provisions “unduly impair” the executive branch’s ability to decide when and where to prosecute detainees and where to send them when they’re released and could constrain U.S. negotiations with foreign countries over the transfer of detainees in a way that could undermine national security.

The law also has provisions barring goods produced by forced Uyghur labor in China from entering the U.S., and it begins to lay out plans for the new Global War on Terror Memorial, which would be the latest addition to the National Mall

Source: Voice of America

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration says it is looking to push ahead with work on a social safety net spending bill after a key Democrat in the Senate said he could not support it.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a briefing Monday that the administration is ready to “work like hell” with West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and other members of the Democratic caucus in order to achieve its goal.

“What’s most on the President’s mind is the risk of inaction,” Psaki said. “And if we do not act to get this legislation done and the components in it, not only will costs and prices go up for the American people, but also we will see a trajectory in economic growth that is not where we want it to be.”

Manchin has been a focal point in talks within the Democratic Party as leaders pushed to get the $2 trillion package passed by this week. The legislation includes plans to expand health care for older Americans, provide universal pre-kindergarten classes, authorize new funding to combat climate change and offer more financial support for low-income Americans.

Manchin has expressed opposition to the amount of spending, and in a radio interview Monday he reiterated that in his view the bill included too much spending without enough restrictions on incomes or work requirements for recipients.

Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would vote “very early in the new year” on a revised version of the bill already approved by the House of Representatives.

Manchin’s vote is essential for Democrats in the politically divided Senate as they try to pass one of the key elements of Biden’s legislative agenda. None of the 50 Republicans in the 100-member chamber supports the plan.

Democrats had hoped to push through the legislation on a 51-50 vote before Christmas, with Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie-breaking vote.

Source: Voice of America

BLANTYRE, MALAWI — Malawi’s former president, Peter Mutharika, has accused President Lazarus Chakwera’s government of political persecution in arresting former officials linked to the former leader. Mutharika made the comments Sunday at his first large rally of supporters since Chakwera defeated him in elections last year.

Thousands of supporters of Malawi’s opposition Democratic Progressive party (DPP) braved rain to attend a rally addressed by party leader Peter Mutharika and political ally Atupele Muluzi, leader of the opposition United Democratic front in Blantyre.

The rally was the first since Mutharika lost last year’s rerun presidential election to President Chakwera.

Mutharika told the gathering that it is concerning that the Chakwera government is only arresting officials of the former administration’s party in the fight against corruption.

Mutharika said this is a ploy to silence the opposition.

“Last week, we had plans to send my two officials who are experts in economics to address a conference and advise the government on how to turn around economic problems facing the country, but before the day came, they were arrested,” he said.

Mutharika was referring to the arrest of former Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamveka and former Reserve Bank Governor Dalitso Kabambe. They stand accused of attempting to falsify documents to get funding from the International Monetary Fund.

The two were released on bail after being arrested and charged with abuse of office.

Mutharika also accused Chakwera’s administration of targeting people from the southern region and particularly of the Lomwe tribe to which Mutharika belongs.

“Reverend Chakwera, you are the man God. I am pleading with you to stop ill-treating people from the southern region. And also, you should stop ill-treating people of the Lomwe tribe because they are innocent,” Mutharika said.

Responding to Mutharika’s remarks at the rally, a spokesperson for the governing Tonse Alliance, Maurice Munthali, told a local daily Monday that Mutharika’s remarks are baseless.

Munthali also dismissed accusations of tribalism and political persecution, saying Mutharika should be the last person to say that because his administration was the champion of that.

George Phiri, a former lecturer in political science at the University of Livingstonia in Malawi, says Mutharika’s claims about political arrests and tribalism are baseless because there is strong evidence that those who are being arrested are those who broke the law during their tenure of office.

“All I can say is that Malawi is not doing well … when arrests are made of this kind, they don’t take the issues to court for prosecution so that we can justify what happened. That’s what I can accuse not only the Tonse Alliance government, even Peter Mutharika’s government did the same and even other previous administrations did the same,” he said.

Phiri said, to prove Mutharika’s accusations wrong, the Chakwera administration should be sure to take all the cases involving officials of Mutharika’s political party to court for prosecution.

Source: Voice of America

Nigeria’s National Assembly has adopted legislation that allows direct primaries – where all party members and not just delegates will vote in political parties’ primaries to choose candidates for elections. But President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to assent to the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill 2021. Though the Independent National Electoral Commission has endorsed other aspects of the bill, it suggested that the president consult with political parties over the controversial direct primaries provision. The Conversation Africa’s Wale Fatade asked public law expert Akinola Akintayo to explain the issues.

Are direct primaries consistent with the constitution?

Some politicians have voiced their opposition. They are worried because the adoption is a direct fallout of happenings in the ruling All Progressives Congress party over selection of candidates for the 2023 general elections. The ruling party is the majority party in the National Assembly.

There are four grounds on which the National Assembly can directly regulate political parties. You can find them in Sections 221 to 229 of the constitution. These are specific provisions in the constitution that deal with regulation of political parties.

The first ground is the provision that the National Assembly can make laws to provide for the punishment of persons who violate specific provisions of the constitution with respect to the formation and operation of political parties.

This is in relation to those who carry on political party activities without registering or without complying with the provisions of the constitution. It also speaks to receiving or retention by political parties of funding from outside the country. This is prohibited and all funds received from abroad must be turned over to the electoral commission within 21 days of such receipt.

The second ground is the authority of the National Assembly to make laws disqualifying anyone found to have aided or assisted political parties to receive or retain funding from overseas.

The third ground is the authority to make laws providing for annual grants to be disbursed to political parties by the electoral commission. The fourth ground is the authority to confer necessary and incidental powers on the commission to perform its functions.

Those provisions and others do not give the National Assembly the power to regulate the primaries of political parties. The constitution doesn’t allow the National Assembly to force political parties to elect candidates this way. The National Assembly may have reasons for adopting direct primaries, but it is inconsistent with the constitution.

Why do you think the National Assembly wants direct primaries?

It is something we knew might come, considering what happened during the presidential primaries in 2018. Contestants allegedly spent millions of dollars to bribe delegates. Any serious legislative body will want to do something about that because it has a trickle down effect on the integrity of the political process and those who emerge as winners. The integrity and sanctity of democracy serve as a barometer of governance in the country.

I think this initiative is a bid to curb the excesses of politicians. That is not to say that the ruling party may not have its own agenda, especially against the background of the disagreement between state governors and National Assembly members on how to select candidates for elections.

What could be done to make the political parties more democratic?

The things that brought us here are the very serious poverty level in the country, the desperation of ordinary Nigerians for survival, lack of education, and political lethargy, among others. People don’t care, they just want to feed themselves and do their stuff and have generally given up on governance and politics. We can see this in low voter turnout in recent elections. But there is a lot we can do.

We need to start empowering the people. I don’t mean the political class but the citizens. So that when it is time for elections, you can reject that small bag of rice and cash regularly doled out to induce voters. That is economic empowerment.

Legally speaking, maybe the National Assembly can empower the electoral commission to properly monitor the internal processes of political parties. They do at present but that mechanism can be strengthened.

But I think it goes beyond the law. People must be empowered economically to be self sufficient and thereby more altruistic. Politicians too must put citizens’ interests ahead of their own in their political dealings. Citizens must be enlightened on the importance of their contributions to the democratic process.

If the president assents to the bill, the innovation becomes law, pending the time it is challenged and overturned or affirmed by the courts as unconstitutional or constitutional.

If the president refuses assent, the innovation is at an end unless the National Assembly overrides the president’s veto by passing the bill again by two-thirds majority of members of both houses of the National Assembly at a joint sitting.

Source: The Conversation

YAOUNDE, Former Barcelona and Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o has been elected as the President of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) on Saturday.

Eto’o saw off challenge from the interim President of Fecafoot, Seidou Mbombo Njoya after five other candidates opted out of the electoral race.

Prior to the election, Eto’o was acting as the global ambassador for the Qatar 2022 World Cup while Mbombo Njoya is currently the fourth vice-president of the Confederation of African Football.

The election took place at the Hotel Mont Febe in Yaounde and it was supervised by the president of the Fecafoot electoral commission, Glibert Schlick.

Eto’o’s triumph at the poll means he will now take charge of the smooth running of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon between Jan 9 and Feb 6.

The 40-year-old won the continental title twice with the Indomitable Lions in 2000 and 2002, and he is celebrated as one of the icons of Cameroon football after claiming the African Player of the Year award for a record four times (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010).

Back in September, Eto’o declared his candidacy for the top leadership position in Cameroonian football with the target of revamping the sport in the Central African nation.

Eto’o, who spent the majority of his playing career in Spain, had stints at Real Madrid, Leganes, Espanyol, Mallorca and Barcelona between 1997 and 2009 where he won several laurels including La Liga, Copa del Rey, Uefa Champions League, Fifa Club World Cup amongst others.

He continued his winning sojourn at Inter Milan for two years before he moved to Turkey’s Anzhi Makhachkala and England where he turned out for Chelsea and Everton.

The African legend ended his playing career in Qatar in 2019, four years after he called time on his international career that produced 56 goals in 118 games for Cameroon.

Source: Nam News Network

LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA — Programming shifts at Slovenia’s public broadcaster could curb critical journalism and benefit the center-right government in next year’s elections, say journalists and free press advocates who sense politics behind the moves.

The changes, adopted by the program council of RTV Slovenia on November 29, shorten or abolish some main news programs, while others move to a less-prominent second channel. TV Slovenia is a part of RTV Slovenia, which also includes a public radio channel. The radio channel will also undergo some changes, but those are not being disputed.

The new management of RTV Slovenia claims the changes, to be phased in by the end of March 2022, are designed to improve the ratings. Skeptics say that’s not the whole story.

“Whether or not the proposed reforms are designed to curb critical political journalism, their concrete impact would be to reduce RTV’s ability to inform the public and scrutinize the government,” Laurens C. Hueting, senior advocacy officer of the European Center for Press and Media Freedom, told VOA.

Most journalists of TV Slovenia news programs agree. More than nine in 10 signed a petition in opposition.

“This plan presents a big change, which we believe does not bring any possibilities to increase quality of reporting,” senior TV Slovenia anchor Igor Evgen Bergant told VOA.

“We want changes; we want a better work organization … but the adopted plan will disperse news reporting to several channels and thus reduce the interest of people in our news. So, our relevance will decrease,” Bergant maintained.

He is an anchor of the prominent evening news show Odmevi, which is due to be shortened to 25 minutes from 30 minutes at present. But other programs will be more affected.

The management did not disclose changes in detail, but TV journalists told VOA that all political debates ahead of the April 24 parliamentary election move to the second channel, while the main evening news show Dnevnik will be shortened by almost a third to 20 minutes.

A weekly show, Politicno, which analyzes interior politics, will be abolished. Weekly shows Utrip, which examines events in the country, and Zrcalo tedna, which focuses on global events, will be moved to the second channel, along with many others.

The journalists’ petition gained public support of a number of universities, academics, Slovenian diplomats, trade unions, business chambers and public institutes.

Still, the management of RTV Slovenia stands by the changes. The management did not respond to VOA’s detailed questions but sent a statement saying TV Slovenia is in a “serious crisis. “

“The viewership of most shows has been falling for years, only Dnevnik and Odmevi have since 2003 lost 250,000 or about half of once faithful viewers. That is why we are introducing changes in the news program,” the statement said.

Bergant said the viewership figures fail to include those who follow the shows on mobile phones and after a time delay, and that ratings are falling in other countries, as well.

Although the government has no direct influence on TV Slovenia production, many believe the changes benefit the government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa ahead of the April vote.

“It is hard to prove whether the incumbent government is behind these decisions,” said Marko Milosavljevic, a professor of journalism at the Ljubljana University. “However, such marginalization of the information program can surely benefit this government, especially before the election, as the abolishment of analytical and potentially critical shows and reports could ease the media position and image of this government.”

The broadcaster receives most of its income from an obligatory RTV subscription paid by most households. It is run by a 29-member Program Council mandated to act independently. However, a majority of the council members, 21, are appointed by the parliament.

TV Slovenia runs a 24-7 operation and is one of the most popular TV channels in the country. It competes with several private channels. Its largest competitor is owned by international investment group PPF that is based in the Czech Republic. Another competitor, Nova24TV, was established in 2016 by members and supporters of Jansa’s Slovenian Democratic Party.

The Ministry of Culture, which oversees media, did not respond to VOA’s questions about government influence over TV Slovenia. In September, the ministry denied exerting any political pressure on the leadership of TV Slovenia.

The RTV’s new chief executive, Andrej Grah Whatmough, who took over last April after being appointed by the Program Council, had rejected rumors that his appointment was political and denied being under any pressure.

In August, however, he dismissed the director of TV Slovenia. The new director then appointed a new managing editor of TV’s news programs after the previous editor, Manica Janezic Ambrozic, resigned in October because of the planned program changes.

Opposition parties say Jansa’s government is trying to control the broadcaster through the Program Council to get favorable coverage.

“It is obvious that (the government parties) want to take control of the public medium and change it … into a pro-government mouthpiece,” Nika Vrhovnik, a spokeswoman of the largest opposition party, the center-left List of Marjan Sarec, told VOA.

Since taking power in March 2020, Jansa’s government has been criticized by local and international institutions for its media policies. They include a decision to stop paying the national news agency, STA, which normally gets half of its income from the government.

That happened after Jansa said on Twitter the agency was biased and “a national shame.”

Government payments to the STA resumed in November after a new CEO was appointed following a September resignation of predecessor Bojan Veselinovic over his inability to reach a financing deal with the government.

Several TV journalists told VOA they feel more pressure since Jansa took power. Last year, Jansa used Twitter to accuse TV Slovenia of spreading falsehoods.

On December 3, Jansa shared a tweet that accused a TV Slovenia journalist of lying when she compared the government’s spending on the health system to military spending.

Analysts said that Slovenian journalists are still able to produce independent news — for now.

Said Hueting: “Against a background of increasing intimidation and threats against RTV’s journalists, it is important to support the broadcaster and its staff so they can continue to deliver a high standard of news reporting.”

Source: Voice of America

BANJUL, GAMBIA — Election officials started counting marble votes Saturday in Gambia after the polls closed in the country’s first presidential election in decades that did not include former dictator Yahya Jammeh, a milestone seen as a test of democracy in the West African country.

Long lines of Gambians came to vote to exercise their democratic rights as demands for justice in the post-Jammeh era rise. Nearly 1 million registered voters were expected to drop marbles into one of six ballot bins, each adorned with the face and name of a candidate.

The candidates include incumbent President Adama Barrow, who defeated Jammeh in 2016 as an opposition leader.

Barrow’s challengers are former mentor and head opposition leader Ousainou Darboe of the United Democratic Party; Mama Kandeh of Gambia Democratic Congress; Halifa Sallah of the People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism; Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh of the National Unity Party; and Essa Mbye Faal, former lead counsel of Gambia’s truth commission, who was running as an independent.

“We will never lose this election,” Barrow said after voting in Banjul. “I am a leader who is focused on development, and that development will continue in this country. I know in the next 24 hours my people will be celebrating in the streets.”

Barrow stressed the Independent Electoral Commission must remain impartial.

Darboe voted in Fajara, a neighborhood in Bakau, near the capital, using a walker because of health problems. Flanked by a huge escort, including his wives, he added his voice to calls for peaceful elections.

“We all win if there is peaceful election,” he said.

Independent Electoral Commission presiding officer Musa Mbye told The Associated Press that there were no major problems during the vote. IEC Chair Alieu Mommar Njie said election results would be announced by Monday.

After polls closed, several officials started the counts by laying the marbles on wooden boards to mark 100 to 200 votes per board. Political party representatives and polling station heads also sign off on the vote count. This year, it will also then be put into an app developed for Gambia’s election tracking, aptly called Marble.

All the presidential candidates vowed to strengthen the country’s tourism-dependent economy amid the coronavirus pandemic so fewer Gambians feel compelled to travel the dangerous migration route to Europe.

While the 2016 election that removed Jammeh from power after 22 years saw Gambians go from fear to elation, many are still not satisfied with the progress the nation has made.

“Since President Barrow came to power, the prices of food commodities kept rising. The average Gambian lives in poverty, so we want a candidate to be elected to address this problem,” Kebba Gaye, 23, said in the town of Wellingara. “We youths want to elect a leader that will respect and value our votes. A leader that will create employment for us.”

In a nearby neighborhood, Marietou Bojang, 24, agreed on the need for change, saying people don’t have enough to eat.

“I am voting because myself and other women are suffering silently. A bag of rice has drastically gone up,” she told the AP, adding that not enough has been done to fight corruption.

Many Gambians want certainty that the new leaders will bring the tiny West African nation of about 2.4 million toward peace and justice.

Jammeh, who seized power in 1994 in a bloodless coup, was voted out of office in 2016. After initially agreeing to step down, Jammeh resisted, and a six-week crisis saw neighboring West African countries prepare to send in troops to stage a military intervention. Jammeh was forced into exile and fled to Equatorial Guinea.

Jammeh’s two-decade rule was marked by arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances and summary executions that were revealed through dramatic testimony during Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission hearings that lasted for years.

Last week, the commission handed its 17-volume report to Barrow, urging him to ensure that perpetrators of human rights violations are prosecuted. Barrow said he would do that.

Still, many Gambians feel betrayed after Barrow’s National People’s Party reached a deal with the top figures of the former ruling party, despite Jammeh’s split with that party.

Links to Jammeh are not only an issue for the current president. Opposition candidate Kandeh has been supported by a breakaway political faction that Jammeh formed during his exile in Equatorial Guinea. While Kandeh has kept silent about Jammeh’s possible return to Gambia, his allies are unequivocally saying that Jammeh would come back if they emerged victorious from the election.

Of the other candidates, Sallah and Darboe are established politicians, but they faced challenges from newcomers Faal and Ebrima Jammeh, who are making waves in urban areas.

Source: Voice of America

OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO — Security is getting worse in Burkina Faso, with the deadliest attacks by Islamist militants in the West African country in years on civilians and security forces. People are protesting the failure of Burkinabe and international forces to stop the violence, with some calling for change at the top.

In downtown Ouagadougou early Saturday police fired tear gas into crowds of protesters calling for the resignation of Burkina Faso’s President Roch Kabore.

Around 400-500 people were assembled before the tear gas forced them to disperse. An eerie silence followed.

Journalists were hit with tear gas too, even after identifying themselves as press. One local radio journalist was injured after being hit in the face with a tear gas canister.

In recent days, protests have spread across several cities in Burkina Faso.

Demonstrators were angry at what they say is the government’s inability to counter terrorism, after an al-Qaida-linked terror group attacked a military outpost in the north of the country, killing at least 50 military police.

Mamadou Drabo, who is a protest leader, said, “We want the departure of Roch by noon, we want the resignation of Roch, his government and the MPP regime.”

By early Saturday, the police had blocked entrances to the square where protesters were due to meet. Some protesters began shouting at military police, others approached them with their hands up to show their support for the security forces.

Not all demonstrators were peaceful, however. Some attacked a pickup truck carrying members of a local militia known as the Koglweogo. Others set fire to tires and threw rocks at security forces, as well as journalists.

Maman Flora Pascalina is a Burkinabe blogger and activist who goes by the nickname Flo Flo. She said she supports the FDS, the Burkinabe security forces, and therefore Saturday’s protests against the government.

Flo Flo said her heart aches for her people who are dying before her eyes. She can’t stand it, she says. “I’ve thrown myself into this and I fight, night and day for the Burkinabe people, for the FDS,” she added.

Protests against French military intervention in Burkina Faso have also taken place in the last ten days. Demonstrators blocked a French convoy traveling through the country, claiming the soldiers were aiding terrorists.

Many Burkinabes believe in conspiracy theories like this, spread over social media.

Starting November 20, the government shut down mobile internet for eight days, in part to stop the spread of misinformation, but also to suppress protests.

The government came under pressure from lawmakers about its handling of security and the internet shutdown at a special session of the national assembly on Friday. The defense minister, Aime Simpore, voiced support for the shutdown.

He said, “Regretfully, some uses of social networks compromise national security and contribute to the weakening of our country to the point of making it vulnerable.”

Analysts say the threat of protests may force the government to make concessions.

“There’s some sense politically that there was a need to concede something to some of these demands.”

More demonstrations are scheduled for the 10th and 11th of December.

Source: Voice of America

JERUSALEM — Israel’s government on Sunday approved the immigration of several thousand Jews from war-torn Ethiopia, some of whom have waited for decades to join their relatives in Israel.

The decision took a step toward resolving an issue that has long complicated the government’s relations with the country’s Ethiopian community.

Some 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel. Community leaders estimate that roughly 6,000 others remain behind in Ethiopia.

Although the families are of Jewish descent and many are practicing Jews, Israel does not consider them Jewish under religious law. Instead, they have been fighting to enter the country under a family-unification program that requires special government approval.

Community activists have accused the government of dragging its feet in implementing a 2015 decision to bring all remaining Ethiopians of Jewish lineage to Israel within five years.

Under Sunday’s decision, an estimated 3,000 people will be eligible to move to Israel. They include parents, children and siblings of relatives already in Israel, as well as orphans whose parents were in Israel when they died.

“Today we are correcting an ongoing injustice,” said Pnina Tamano Shata, the country’s minister for immigration and herself an Ethiopian immigrant. She said the program was a response to people who have waited “too many years to come to Israel with their families” and to resolve a “painful issue.”

In a joint statement with Israel’s interior minister, she said the decision came in part as a response to the precarious security situation in Ethiopia, where tens of thousands of people have been killed over the past year in fighting between the government and Tigray forces.

It was not immediately clear when the airlift would begin. The government appointed a special project coordinator to oversee the effort.

Kasaw Shiferaw, chairman of the group Activists for the Immigration of Ethiopian Jews, welcomed Sunday’s decision but said there was still a long way to go.

“On one hand, this decision makes me happy. Three thousand people are realizing a dream and uniting with their families,” he said.

“But it’s not a final resolution. Thousands are still waiting in camps, some for more than 25 years. We expect the government to bring all of them,” he said.

Source: Voice of America