Newspaper fined for publishing results of opinion polls

19 Jul 2010

ABIDJAN: The National Press Council (CNP), the print media regulatory body in Côte d'Ivoire, on 9 July 2010 imposed a fine of three million CFA francs (about US$6,000) on Regie Cyclone Company, publishers of Le Temps, a pro-government daily newspaper.

A Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) correspondent reported that the fine was as a result of the newspaper's publishing of the results of opinion polls conducted by a research group, TNS-Sofres, on the country's presidential aspirants in the yet-to-be announced presidential elections in the country.

Opinion polls, estimates of votes prohibited

The correspondent said the CNP sanction was in accordance with Section 5 of Article 39 of the Ministerial Order No. 2008-133 of 14 April 2008 on the amendments to the Post Crisis Electoral Code, which states: "It is prohibited to publish or to broadcast estimates of votes or to conduct opinion polls under whatever form, from whatever place after the publication of the provisional electoral roll."

The electoral roll was published nationwide on 2 October 2009.

This is not the first time that Le Temps has been fined for a similar offence this year. On 2 April, the newspaper was slapped with a fine of one million CFA francs (about US$2,000).

The correspondent said although a date is yet to be fixed for the country's presidential election, research group, TNS-Sofres, has in a series of polls predicted a win for President Laurent Gbagbo.