Monday February 20, 2012

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe accused his political rivals of trying to use constitutional reforms to get rid of him, but warned that his Zanu-PF party would reject any changes threatening its future, the Sunday Mail newspaper reported. Mugabe, who turns 88 tomorrow and was forced into a coalition government following disputed elections in 2008, is seeking to extend his 32 years in power in an early poll that he wants held this year, a year ahead of schedule. In an interview with the State-owned newspaper, Mugabe charged that lawyers hired to draft a new national charter and rivals from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change had "erred" by including issues not gathered from a public survey.

The World Bank launched the nomination process to select a new president to succeed Robert Zoellick when he steps down in June, inviting names from any of its 187 member countries. The board said that nominations had to be submitted by March 23 and it hoped to select its top choice by the time of the World Bank and IMF meetings in April. It said it would short-list three candidates and publish their names if they agree. Zoellick said last week that he will leave his post at the end of June when his five-year term ends.

The judicial committtee supervising Egypt's first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak was overthrown last year said that it had yet to finalise a date for the vote, although an election official said it would be in the first week of June. The committee had been expected to announce a date on Sunday, but judges on the committee told a news conference the decision was being delayed as they worked out how best to ensure Egyptians abroad would have enough time to vote. The army which took over from Mubarak in February last year has faced street protests and widespread demands they hand power to civilians sooner than the end-June deadline they had set themselves.

Also making headlines:

Senegal security forces clashed with protesters in the capital and surrounding suburbs yesterday in the fifth straight day of demonstrations against President Abdoulaye Wade's candidacy in a February 26 election.

And, Mali will hold its presidential election on time in April despite a heavily armed Tuareg rebellion, President Amadou Toure said.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.