Africa press review

In the spotlight: Kenyans called to the polls

Audio 03:31

General elections in Kenya this Tuesday, August 9, 2022: in the early morning voters queue in front of Oltepesi Primary School in Nairobi where polling stations are located.

© AP/Ben Curtis

By: Fanny Bleichner

4 mins

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These are general elections.

It is a question of appointing not only the president - main candidates: William Ruto and Raila Odinga - but also the deputies, senators, governors and local elected officials.

An editorial taken up by

Nation

enjoins citizens to “ 

vote intelligently 

” and recalls that “

 contrary to what has happened in the past, the campaigns have generally been peaceful.

We hope that peace will prevail even during the voting, the counting of the ballots and the announcement of the results.

 »

The Burkinabè daily

WakatSera

also goes in this direction, considering that “

 the risk has considerably lessened of letting the old demons take hold of this presidential election which could escape the tribalist grip.

Good news, she has already been spared the confrontation through the ballot box of the Kenyattas and the Odingas, who have long dominated Kenyan political life

(…)

In any case, all eyes are on the candidates who have a duty to do fair -play their main weapon to deny this unwritten rule that rhymes election with war in Kenya. 

»

To avoid these tensions, 

The Star

appeals to the Kenyan electoral commission

The IEBC must “ 

not cede ground to keyboard buccaneers who will supplant the agency if information is delayed for any number of reasons.

The IEBC must circulate information in real time to avoid the tensions, suspicions and anxiety caused by the lack of information.

When the information does not circulate, the rumor mills get carried away

 ”.

Today in Faso

also warns against "

 these garbage presses which have spread over the last few days of the campaign in Kenya, [and which] were intended to create a buzz, to sell themselves to the highest bidder, but are now hovering on these votes and on the aftermath a serious danger: that of a necessarily violent post-election crisis when the country is called Kenya.

What are these nauseating sites distilling?

“That there would be fraud! That Ruto hates the Kikuyu … (the majority ethnic group)”

In short, the campaign was imbued with nauseating bogus unleashed by influencers recruited for the occasion.

Dangerous game if there is one when you know that in this country, the community vote is… the rule.

An

"infocalypse"

that makes this election even more inflammable 

".

Antony Blinken's move to the continent

On August 8, the American Secretary of State was in South Africa.

On this occasion, the Mail and Guardian

reminds us

, "

The Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, admitted that she and her American counterpart were on opposite sides on several issues, including Russia's war against Ukraine, but that they were determined to strengthen bilateral cooperation

 ".

Today in Faso

tries to see clearly among the words of Antony Blinken and believes that " 

when he once again declares in Pretoria that it is without consideration, and that he wants African countries to be

"crucial allies on issues such as the climate, food insecurity",

he is right, but it is also in the costume of a sales representative that Blinken criss-crosses Africa

 ".

It is in this context that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is preparing for its arrival today.

Politico

underlines the economic interests for the United States in the DRC where there are large lithium reserves then recalls that " 

the resources of the Congo are the property first of all of the Congolese

 " before questioning the posture of Antony Blinken : will he come “ 

more as a partner than as a giver of injunctions

 ”?

That's the whole question.

Agreement reached between the Chadian junta and the rebels

“ 

Mass is said!

 for

Tchadinfos

in its editorial which sees it as a “ 

masquerade

 ”, “ 

the repetition of a scenario which repeats itself like in a comedy written by a scriptwriter who lacks imagination 

”.

The newspaper which in

another article

collected the words of trade unionists: " 

For Brahim Ben Seid, secretary general of the CLTT, the Doha agreement is very important, because it is for the first time that the Chadian rebels, more than about thirty manage to sign a peace agreement.

(…)

Barka Michel, president of the UST, regrets for his part that the agreement has not been signed by all the rebel groups.

 »

Monday, August 8, the head of the transition Mahamat Idriss Deby reiterated his outstretched hand to non-signatory groups.

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