| Ivory Coast has suspended its voter registration process indefinitely because of rising tensions, the government said, casting doubt on when the long-delayed presidential election will take place. The election is considered important as a way to end years of instability and stalemate after a 2002-3 war that left the north in the hands of rebels. The process of registering voters has been tortuous and fraught with disputes over Ivorian nationality and who is eligible to vote — explosive issues in a country that went to war over them. Two opposition candidates, Henri Konan Bédié and Alassane Ouattara, accused President Laurent Gbagbo of deliberately creating obstacles for the process to keep himself in power. Six million people registered to vote, but around a million were contested on grounds of nationality. |