The final results of the local elections will be announced on February 27, President of the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) Farouk Bouaskar announced on Friday, during an information day dedicated to the process of setting up the National Council of Regions and Districts in the governorate of Gafsa. Once the results are announced, the members of the local councils will be summoned by the governors within 8 days to set up the local councils, Bouaskar added. The first inaugural meeting will be chaired by the member with the highest number of votes in each local council, who will in turn assume the provisional chairmanship of the council to which he or she belongs for a period of 3 months. The ceremony to swear in the president of the said council will be recorded in minutes drawn up for this purpose, following which the draw for the representation of local councils on the regional council will take place within the next 24 hours. Bouaskar also indicated that the meeting with the members of t he local councils of the Gafsa governorate had been an opportunity to dispel the doubts surrounding the delimitation of the respective competences of the delegate, the governor and the local councils, calling for "legislative intervention" to settle the issue. Pending the adoption of a text "apportioning" powers, Bouaskar pointed out that the rules governing the operation and organisation of local councils would be governed by Organic Law No. 29 of May 9, 2018 promulgating the Local Authorities Code. As for the remit of the local councils, the ISIE President specified that these structures will mainly be in charge of supervising blocked development projects planned at the level of delegations and governorates. As part of their mission, they will also have the right to demand accountability and to propose new projects to be included in the 2025 budget and the national development plan to be validated by the second parliamentary chamber, the National Council of Regions and Districts. Source: Agence Tunis A frique Presse Addis Ababa: The former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen has been elected today as the first President of the Council of the Global Black Center. The Global Black center (GBC)'s council convened its first meeting here in Addis Ababa and endorsed its organizational constitution that comprises 22 articles. During the occasion, the Global Black Council's first President Demeke said that Ethiopia being the symbol of freedom, beacon of prosperity, and land of origin deserves to host the GBC. The president stated that it is a humbling responsibility for me and the leadership will take practical steps to operationalize the governing structure of the Global Black center. It is appropriate that we are honoring our commitment to put in place a structure fit for such lofty goals of global importance, Demeke added. 'I would like to highlight that the preservation and restoration of African heritage has been given the attention it deserves. Conflicts, lack of due care, and absen ce of adequate digital technologies are robbing Africans of their heritage,' he noted. Acknowledging education as a key tool to the success of Global Black center's goals, the former Deputy Prime Minister revealed that 'we are fortunate that the center benefits from the active ownership and participation of high-level academicians.' 'We should design training programs that could have a multiplier effect across Africa. History in Africa has been a controversial subject within and among countries. Educators must take the responsibility of converging African academicians toward an approach that will help Africans in the continent and the Diaspora,' the president stressed. Furthermore, Demeke hoped that the Global Black Center would emerge as a desirable platform to advance black history, culture, heritage and development. To this end, the president stressed the need for holding an annual conference by bringing together scholars and other dignified personalities. 'Therefore, we should organize a colorful Ann ual Black Conference every year with the participation of many scholars, continental representatives, Head of Governments, International Organizations, dignified personalities and all others that share the purpose and objectives of our center in its Head Quarter, Ethiopia,' he elaborated. According to him, panel discussions, debates, exhibitions, art works and other pertinent matters will be entertained and exhibited in the Annual Black gathering it is anticipated thereby to be a globally flagged legacy of the GBC. Source: Ethiopian News Agency