8, March 2018
Mario Balotelli attacks Italy’s first black senator 0
Mario Balotelli, Italy’s most famous black footballer, said on Wednesday a politician who has become the first black person elected to the Senate should be ashamed of himself for representing a fiercely anti-migrant party.
Nigerian-born Toni Iwobi moved to Italy in 1976 and joined the League in 1993, serving as a local councillor. He was elected to the upper house on Sunday to represent the northern city of Bergamo – the League’s heartland.
“Perhaps I’m blind or perhaps they haven’t yet told him that he is black. But shame on you!!!” Balotelli wrote on Instagram.
The post showed a photograph of Iwobi with League leader Matteo Salvini, both wearing T-shirts saying: “Stop the Invasion” – a reference to the party’s call for a halt to African migrants who have poured into Italy in recent years.
Balotelli was born in Sicily to Ghanaian immigrants. He has played more than 30 times for the Italian national team and plays club soccer for French side Nice.
The League has adopted an uncompromising anti-migrant stance, drawn up with the help of Iwobi, and has called for the deportation of some 600,000 immigrants, many from Africa, who have reached Italy over the past four years.
However, the party has said it supports legal migration. Iwobi came to Italy legally on a student visa and subsequently married an Italian. He went on to set up an IT company.
League leader Matteo Salvini immediately leapt to Iwobi’s defence. “I don’t like Balotelli on the field. I like him even less off it,” he tweeted.
Iwobi wrote on Facebook: “These controversies don’t interest me. There are more important things. I cannot wait to start serving my country.”
He went ahead to defend himself in an interview with Italian newspaper, Il Giornale,saying only 10% of those who flee from Nigeria are fleeing war.
“I come from Nigeria and I know how things are,” he added.
“Only 10% of those who disembark in Italy are fleeing war.The others, all the others, the vast majority, no.”
The election – which saw his party came third with 17% of the vote, a huge increase on the 4% it won in 2013 – comes at a time of heightened anti-immigrantion feeling.
The killing of Senegalese street vendor Idy Dienec in Florence on Monday prompted two days of protests.
Source: Africa News
8, March 2018
Biya’s Continued Stay in Power: ELECAM validates 36 lists for the Senate elections 0
Cameroon’s Electoral Commission (Elecam) has made public the lists of candidates selected for the 2018 senatorial elections, which take place on March 25th. Of the 42 lists submitted by 9 political parties in competition, 36 were validated and 5 others rejected. The Social Democratic Front (SDF), the so-called main opposition party reportedly withdrew its list in the Central region.
The ruling CPDM crime syndicate list and its ally, the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP, led by Bello Bouba-), were selected in all the 10 regions of Cameroon. Ni John Fru Ndi’s SDF party will be represented in five regions, Adamaoua, East, Littoral, North West and South West.
The ANDP, National Alliance for Democracy and Progress of Hamadou Mustapha, is competing in four regions, the Far North, Littoral, South, and South West.
The Democratic Union of Cameroon (UDC) of Dr. Adamou Ndam Njoya, presented candidates in the Littoral and West regions. The Union des populations du Cameroun, UPC is running in two regions namely the Center and the Littoral.
The National Front for the Salvation of Cameroon, one of the political parties in the consortium of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate led by the Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, will participate only in the North.
UDP and UMS, two obscure opposition parties not represented in the National Assembly are competing only in one region- North West for UDP and West for UMS. Maurice Kamto’s Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (Mrc) is the only political party represented in parliament calling for a boycott of the vote. The Cameroonian Senate has 100 senators, 70 of who are elected and 30 are appointed by the 85 year President Biya.
By Sama Ernest