DRC ELECTIONS: MEDIA AUTHORITY SETS PRESIDENTIAL

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001575 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM CG ELECTIONS SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS: MEDIA AUTHORITY SETS PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE FOR OCTOBER 26 ¶1. (U) The DRC's High Media Authority (HAM) has proposed for October 26 the one and only planned presidential debate between President Joseph Kabila and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba. Neither Kabila nor Bemba participated in the handful of televised debates held among the 32 candidates who ran in the July 30 presidential contest. The location and format of the two-hour encounter will be determined by Kabila's and Bemba's respective political camps. ¶2. (U) Neither campaign, however, has officially accepted to take part in the debate. Olivier Kamitatu, spokesman for Kabila's Alliance for the Presidential Majority (AMP),said recently that Kabila is ready for the debate. According to Kamitatu, the AMP wants the rules of the debate clearly defined in advance before accepting the invitation. He added that the encounter must be dignified and not an exchange of insults. For its part, Bemba's Union for the Nation (UN) alliance has expressed its willingness to participate, but that it is waiting to confirm its position until the AMP first signs a code of conduct for the debate itself. ¶3. (U) In an October 10 statement, the HAM put forward the rules all Congolese media must agree to follow during the presidential campaign, which begins at midnight October 13. Television and radio stations will be permitted to produce two political debates each week (presumably between representatives of Kabila and Bemba),ensuring that more than one viewpoint is represented in the discussion. In addition, stations can broadcast political advertisements (such as ads or jingles) only during certain hours of the day: from 0600 to 0700, from 1400 to 1900, and from 2100 to 2300. None of these political advertisements are permitted to have messages related to ethnicity, hate, violence, or xenophobia. The government-controlled station RTNC was also specifically called upon to assure equal coverage of both Kabila and Bemba during the campaign period. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: A Kabila-Bemba debate remains uncertain. A great deal of mistrust exists between the two camps and neither side believes the other will adhere to the rules. End comment. DOUGHERTY