Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (PANA) – The President of the opposition party Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), Pascal Affi N’Guessan, Thursday, said the opposition parties in the country rejected the composition of the new Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) because its membership is lopsided in favour of the ruling party.
N’Guessan said that the new IEC was established on a “faulty” law over composition, organization, powers and operation of the electoral body despite the recommendations of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the UN resolution 2062.
“There was a clear willingness of the government to define the electoral framework without the participation of others,” he insisted.
He said the new IEC does not offer all the guarantees demanded by other political actors as regards independence, credibility of the electoral process, neutrality, impartiality and transparency of the elections.
He said the composition of the IEC must be based on the balance of power, alleging that out of the 17 members, the ruling party alone has nine members.
He stressed that with the composition of such a commission where the ruling party is dominant, the opposition will not participate to avoid supporting the ruling party’s plan to remain in power by fraud.
N’Guessan called for the resumption of talks with the government for the establishment of a balanced IEC.
