Assembly/AU/6(XV)
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respect, a Steering Committee was set up, while the two Houses of Parliament
enacted a law on the establishment, organization and functioning of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC). The INEC presented a draft budget for the
forthcoming elections as well as a draft electoral calendar setting the date for the first
round of the presidential election for 4 September 2011.
78.
On other major event in the period under review concerns the renewal of the
MONUC mandate. The AU was actively involved in the consultations initiated in this
regard. On 28 May 2010, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution
1925 on the situation in DRC providing, inter alia, for the reduction of MONUC
military personnel, the change of its title to United Nations Organization Stabilization
Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) with effect from 1 July
2010, and the redefinition of its mandate.
79.
Finally, it should be pointed out that preparations are underway for the
convening of the meeting of the countries, organizations and communities concerned
by the issue of Mbororo nomadic herdsmen. An AU mission was in Kinshasa to
discuss with the Congolese Authorities the modalities of organizing this meeting
pursuant to previous visits to the DRC and other countries concerned.
80.
In addition, pursuant to the relevant decisions of the PSC and the Tripoli Plan
of Action, the Commission dispatched from January 21 to 22 February 2010 a multidisciplinary mission to DRC and Burundi. The mission was intended to assess the
situation in both countries and identify measures to be taken by the AU and its
Member States to support the process of reconstruction and post-conflict
development in the two countries. The conclusions and recommendations of the
mission were submitted to the 230th Meeting of the PSC, held on 27 and 31 May
2010. At the time of finalizing this report, the Commission was working to ensure the
necessary follow-up. In the meantime, it should be noted that the DRC acceded on
1 July 2010, to the Initiative for Highly Indebted Poor Countries, thus benefiting from
debate relief from the Breton Wood institutions.
81.
During the period under review, the political and electoral process, in the
Central African Republic (CAR) suffered setbacks and controversies that
threatened to plunge the country into major political and institutional crisis and
undermined the achievements made from the inclusive political dialogue (IPD) in
December 2008. In January 2010, the political parties of the democratic opposition,
and those of political-military movements, which later combined into “Collective
Forces for Change/ CFC called into question the functioning of the Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC) and its local committees (dismemberment of the IEC),
deciding to leave the Commission, which remained paralyzed for a month. It is
within this context that President François Bozizé, on 25 February 2010, a decree
convening the electorate for the first round of the presidential and legislative
elections on April 25, 2010. On February 27, 2010, the CFC rejected the decree on
the grounds that security and the material conditions were not met credible and
transparent elections. On April 29, 2010, the IEC admitted that it was unable to hold
elections as scheduled on 16 May 2010.
82.
This situation presented the spectre of the risk of a potential institutional
vacuum as from 11 June 2010, the date on which the mandate of the President of