Socialists win Cape Verde parliamentary election
Cape Verde's socialist party won an absolute majority in parliamentary polls, extending its 10-year rule of the archipelago of beaches, valleys and volcanic rock. Lauded as an African success story for achieving political and economic stability, the island country keeps afloat through tourism and the service industry despite meagre natural resources and water shortages. After smooth elections on Sunday aided by computerised polling booths, results came quickly and the main opposition was quick to concede defeat. Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves, 50, leader of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) said: "The PAICV has obtained an absolute majority. I would like this opportunity to say to all the Cape Verdeans that we welcome this victory with great humility. We will form a government and work for all. I will continue to be Prime Minister for all Cape Verdeans.” The national electoral commission has yet to release figures on how many seats each party won in the 72-member parliament. Opposition leader Carlos Veiga, 61, who was prime minister between 1991 and 2001, conceded defeat immediately and congratulated his opponent.
DRC's opposition bids for a single presidential candidate
Opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have started a sensitisation campaign to ensure that they get only one candidate to support during the forthcoming presidential elections. At the political meeting which was held over the weekend at Boboto College in Kinshasa under the platform of "Unity of the Nation," several Congolese opposition leaders called for endorsement of only one opposition candidate. "After coming up with a negative assessment of the last five years, the UN (Unity of the Nation) now wants to see change," the coordinator of the forum said. Several supporters of various political entities, notably the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the Labour Party (LP), Unity for the Nation (UN) and Movement of the Congolese People for the Republic (MPCR) all rallied at the main hall at Boboto College for the political meeting. They had one message for their party bosses: The need for opposition unity so that they do not go into the elections divided .The Unity of the Nation coordinator Clement Kanku said: "We have started talking so that we can achieve this "Each political party has the ambition of leading. But what we are saying is that in the interest of the general public, the opposition must be organised and united. With only one round of voting, in order to maximize the chances of an opposition candidate winning, we must have only one candidate," he said.
Taylor lawyer storms out of war crimes trial
Liberian lawyer for ex-President Charles Taylor has walked out of court during the closing stages of the former leader's war crimes trial in The Hague. Courtenay Griffiths, his lawyer, had tried to submit his final written brief to the court 20 days after the deadline. He was angered when judges refused to accept it. Mr Taylor is accused of fuelling Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990s by arming rebel’s .He denies 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trial started in June 2007 and the verdict is expected later this year. The prosecutors continued with their closing statement in the court despite Mr Griffiths' absence. Outside the courtroom, Mr Griffiths said that he was refusing to "lend legitimacy to the proceedings".
Lobby faults AU's Kenya decision
A global coalition of civil society organizations has criticised the decision of the African Union to endorse Kenya's request to defer cases against the suspected masterminds of the post election violence. The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC), a network of civil society organisations active in 150 countries, called on "Kenya and the African Union to uphold its commitment to justice". At its 16th Summit held on January 24-31, 2011 in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, the AU supported Kenya’s request for a deferral of the ICC investigations. Mr Stephen Lamony, the coalition’s Africa Outreach Liaison and Situations Advisor said that “This decision of the AU is contrary to the supportive role adopted by individual African States parties, who have clearly stated their commitment to the ICC and to justice, by passing decisions which seek to contradict those obligations; the AU puts its members in an embarrassing situation. Article 16 of the Rome Statute provides for a deferral of the court’s investigation or prosecution by the United Nations Security Council if there is a threat to peace and security. The Coalition calls on African state parties to the Rome Statute to continue to stand firm in their support for accountability and the rule of law, and reject steps which would undermine the court," read the statement. The CICC blamed Kenya for failing to set up a local tribunal to try the suspects and for being responsible for the ICCs' intervention.
Jimmy Lemi Milla, the Southern Sudan rural development minister shot dead
Philip Aguer of the Sudan People's Liberation Army said that the government of Southern Sudan’s rural development minister was shot dead inside his ministry building in Juba, by a former employee. The assailant also killed a bodyguard and was then arrested .The incident comes only days after referendum results confirmed that Southern Sudan would become the world's newest independent state on 9 July. Ninety nine percent of southerners voted for secession in last month's poll. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he will accept the outcome .Officials in the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) believe the motive for Wednesday's shooting was personal rather than political.