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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Ivory Coast dispute leaves two presidents |
| 2010-12-05 |
| [Pak Daily Times] The two candidates in Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election took duelling oaths of office on Saturday after each claimed victory, as the political crisis spiralled out of control and renewed unrest in this country once split in two by civil war. Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo defied calls from the United States, France and the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society to concede defeat, wrapping himself in the Ivorian flag as he was sworn in for another term. Hours later, opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara announced that he too had taken his own oath. Saturday's developments leave Ivory Coast with two men who both claim to be president, furthering inflaming the political chaos in the West African nation whose once-prosperous economy was destroyed by the brief 2002-2003 civil war. US President Barack B.O.Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy say Ouattara is the rightful winner and that his victory must be acknowledged. The top U.N. official in Ivory Coast is also standing by results released Thursday by the country's election commission that put Ouattara ahead. Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, a former rebel leader who had served in a unity government with Gbagbo since a 2007 peace deal, said Saturday he was backing Ouattara, who is wildly popular in the formerly rebel-held north. Ouattara said his first act as president was to reappoint Soro. "These last days have been difficult but I can tell you now that Ivory Coast is in good hands," Ouattara said just hours after Gbagbo held his inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace. At his swearing-in, Gbagbo renewed allegations that his supporters had been intimidated in the north, repeating the rationale used by the country's constitutional council to throw out a half million ballots that were cast in Ouattara strongholds. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 How awkward. Pistols at dawn? |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-12-05 17:40 |