African press review 30 October 2014

Burkina Faso’s MPs face a historic vote. Zambia buries its former president. Egypt and Sudan fall out over a dam. Press freedom takes a hit in Egypt but it’s even worse in Eritrea. Zuma cancels a trip to London. And SA economists are looking nervously at US interest rates.

In Burkina Faso the main story in privately owned Le Pays says today's parliamentary vote on Article 37 of the Burkinabe constitution, which limits to two the number of consecutive presidential mandates for any individual, will force the MPs to face history and their own consciences.

Le Pays says today's vote will make the difference between peace and violence for the entire country.

Basically, a rejection by the deputies will make the incumbent, Blaise Campaoré, ineligible for the next presidential election, due in 2015. Campaoré has already been president for the past 27 years, having first taken office before the 1991 constitution which established the two-term rule.

Le Pays notes that today's debate on Article 37, originally scheduled for late this afternoon, has been brought forward to 10.00am, an indication that the debate is likely to be long.

The Times of Zambia has that country's acting president, Guy Scott, appealing for calm during the period of national mourning for late President Michael Sata.

Scott addressed the nation on both radio and television yesterday. He urged citizens, political parties and churches to observe the period of mourning with calm and regard for the law.

In Cairo the Egypt Independent reports that Egypt and Sudan have been exchanging accusations over the Renaissance Dam project during a conference on cooperation in the Nile Basin.

The Sudanese delegation defended Ethiopia’s right to build the dam, even though Sudan accepts that the project is not economically feasible.

Participants at the conference say Sudan defends the Ethiopian project with more enthusiasm than Addis Ababa does. Egypt is worried at losing part of its share of Nile water if the project goes ahead.

Also in the Cairo-based Independent, news that Egypt has slipped one place in the press freedom index because of increasing harassment of journalists since the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

According to the annual press freedom index produced by the group, Reporters Without Borders, Egypt occupies 159th place among the 180 countries surveyed.

Reporters Without Borders say there has been a witch-hunt against journalists alleged to have offered support to the Muslim Brotherhood, in the period since Morsi was deposed by the army.

Finland tops the list as the best country in the world for press freedom, Eritrea occupies the bottom spot in the list.

France has dropped two places to 39th, with South Africa gaining 10 places to 42.

The United States drops to 46th, from 32nd place last year.

South African financial paper BusinessDay reports that South African and British officials have moved to downplay the diplomatic wrangling that saw President Jacob Zuma cancel a trip to London last weekend.

After failing to get a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron, Zuma rejected an offer to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and the Foreign Affairs Secretary Philip Hammond.

This led to Downing Street warning that, without an official engagement, Zuma’s trip would be seen as a private one and the UK would not be able to provide a security detail. The presidency cancelled Zuma’s trip on Friday evening.

The aim of the visit was to boost bilateral trade.

BusinessDay also warns that rising interest rates in the United States and other developed economies, could pose a risk to South Africa’s financial stability, this according to the Reserve Bank.

The focus has shifted from concerns about the end of the US quantitative easing programme to the effect of expected interest rates increases, according to the Bank’s Financial Stability Review for the six months ended June, released yesterday.

The increasing cost of living, as a result of soaring electricity costs, higher fuel prices and rising interest rates, also poses a huge risk to South African financial stability.