Djibouti: the opposition requires respect for political agreements.
In Paris, the leader of the opposition djiboutienne has not hidden his weariness to the political crisis that gets bogged down in his country: for him, there will be “no presidential election in 2016” if the power does Not take its commitments.
“no election without independent joint electoral commission”, Said Ahmed Youssouf houmed, President of the union for National Salvation (USN), A Coalition of seven djiboutian parties of opposition, in an interview with the AFP. It has been months since the opposition called for the formation of a National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in Djibouti. This claim is one of the key points of the framework agreement in December between the opposition and the power, to try to resolve the political crisis born of the challenge around the outcome of the 2013. Legislative
But seven months after this compromise, which has seen the opposition accept 10 seats of members against the 52 that it believes that they have won, “the situation is blocked, it does not move ahead”, Regrets the president of the USN.
In 2013, “we won hands down”, With 80 % of the vote “, Says-T-IL, challenging the decision of the constitutional council which has validated a landslide victory of the presidential majority. ” we have sacrificed 52 members, accepted the unacceptable, to save the future of Djibouti.
The agreement with the government provided a long list of commitments: release of political prisoners, access to international media in a country where the press is under the total control of power, freedom of assembly, recognition of a statute for the political parties, including Several are not allowed… “in the application, it is far from all this”, Relève Ahmed Youssouf, which evokes meagre concessions of power. ” a few prisoners have been released. They arrested the harassment and have allowed us to see us in the interior of the country “.
But the in charge of external relations of the USN, djama amareh meidal, “has been prevented from leaving djibouti on 25 July in the evening and has been confiscate his passport without any reason”, Said the president of the movement.
– Guelleh ‘ promises all, does not give rien’ –
In these conditions, no question for the opposition to accept the holding of the next election scheduled in April 2016, a presidential election where the president guelleh-in power since 1999-does not exclude to run for a fourth term. The Constitution, amended in 2010, do more since the limit number of presidential mandates. “for the moment, there will be no presidential election in 2016, without the preconditions are met”, Martèle Ahmed Yusuf.
Djibouti, small state of the horn of Africa, was launched in large infrastructure projects funded by China with the ambition to become the commercial platform of the East Africa. Nearly one in four (23 %) Lives in extreme poverty, according to figures from the world bank. ” we contain it population (…) But there is a time when we can no longer stop the street “, Highlights-T-il in recalling that 70 % of the population has less than 30 years and that the unemployment rate is around 60 %. ” if the agreement. Does not result, we’ll be exceeded “.
The wind of the arab spring had blown on djibouti in February 2011. Thousands of young people and students were protesting so against a third nomination of Ismail Omar Guelleh in the presidential April 2011. These protests had been severely repressed by the authorities. The call for a revival of the political dialogue launched in late July by the president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh does not convince the head of the opposition, which requires that the commitments made by the power are first “achieved”.
“he said take the dialogue but it, it is for the international opinion”, said mr Youssouf, noting that the letter of president guelleh was shipped on 28 July, in the aftermath of a visit to the French Minister of defence Jean-Yves Le Drian.
“it promises all, it does nothing”, Judge the head of the opposition in reference to the president guelleh. And Ahmed Youssouf to appeal to the international community: “we ask them to do what is in their power to save Djibouti of chaos, the dictatorship that endures since 38 years”.
AFP