By John Stephen Katende

6^th Dec 2010

The West African state of Ivory Coast is embroiled in a deep political crisis after two rival Presidential candidates swore themselves in; each claiming to be the duly elected President.  The former South African President Thabo Mbeki is in the country in an attempt to break the deadlock.

The political crisis followed a presidential run-off that was intended to reunify the country after a civil war.  Initial results by the country’s Electoral Commission had declared long term opposition leader Alassane Ouattara as winner with just over 54% of the vote.

That result was however overturned by the country’s constitutional council which later declared Gbagbo as winner. The country’s highest court, led by a key ally of Mr. Gbagbo, also annulled all the results from the north of the country, a stronghold of Mr. Ouattara.

This did not stop the UN, US, ECOWAS, the African Union and France from congratulating Mr. Alassane Ouattara.  US President Barack Obama in particular has gone one step further and rejected the Constitutional Council’s decision.

“…The Independent Electoral Commission, credible and accredited observers and the United Nations have all confirmed this result and attested to its credibility.  The international community would hold those who act to thwart the democratic process and the will of the electorate accountable for their actions”, Obama said.

Just as Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki did in 2007, Laurent Gbagbo however quickly took the oath of office to serve as President for a new term.  Mr. Alassane Ouattara also followed suit a few hours later, taking his own oath of office at a hotel heavily guarded by UN forces.

At least four people have been killed in election-related violence since last week in main city of Abidjan.  On Sunday, protestors could be seen on the streets calling on Mr. Gbagbo to step down saying his move amounted to a coup d’etat.  “…Gbagbo is a thief”, some of them said.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Guillaume Soro who served under Gbagbo joined the fray and tendered his resignation and threw his weight behind Mr Ouattara.  Mr. Ouattara then appointed Prime Minister in his own “government”.

Mr. Soro also warned that overturning Mr. Ouattara’s victory as declared by the Electoral Commission threatens to derail attempts to stabilise and reunify the country after the war.

Mr. Gbagbo and his supporters are adamant that the UN does not have the right to say who won the elections and have threatened to expel the head of the 8,000-strong UN mission.  The country reopened its borders yesterday for the first time since the crisis broke out on Thursday.

Some analysts fear that the country could be plunged back into violence. One Ivorian analyst who spoke to Uganda Correspondent by phone from the capital Abidjan said “…it is difficult to see what sort of solution Mr. Mbeki will offer other than a Kenyan style power sharing government”.

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