Wheel of Fortune Propelled

The electoral machine for the election of Regional Councillors has been launched. The Presidential decree of last Wednesday, 2nd September, 2020 opens the floodgate of mobilisation among political parties wishing to be part of the race to the country’s first ever Regional Council elections.  Even though the exact date of the exercise is yet to be announced, the allocation of the number of Councillors per Division and per category is clear sign the process has gone out of its hypothetical stage. Two important observations can be made from the two decrees published two days ago; first, that all the Regions will have the same number of Counmcillors (90) and that members of the electoral colleges shall be entitled to a sitting allowance of FCFA 50,000.
Pending the convening of the electorates, it is important to recall the context within which the Regional Council elections will be taking place. In effect, the election of Regional Councillors constitutes part of the ongoing decentralization process. As per the constitution, each region shall be managed by a Regional Council headed by a President who will be the Representative of the Head of State in the region. The powers of the Regional Council hinge on its administrative and financial autonomy in the management of the region’s affairs.  They have the duty to promote economic, social, sanitary, educational, and cultural development of the region among others. The institution of Regional Councils is expected to answer the general cry of the population that has been demanding with increasing insistence to fully participate in the management of their affairs. 
This urge towards self development so to say, was, in the real sense of the word, driven by the irrationality that characterized the management...