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Latest update: 07/12/2010
- elections - Ivory Coast - Laurent Gbagbo - Thabo Mbeki
Defiant Gbagbo appoints cabinet as UN begins withdrawal
Despite international calls for Laurent Gbagbo to cede power in Ivory Coast, the incumbent president named a cabinet Tuesday which included a man once sanctioned for inciting violence. The UN is pulling hundreds of staff from the country.
International pressure on Ivory Coast’s incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo to cede power to challenger Alassane Ouattara is mounting amid growing unrest in the country.
But in a show of defiance, Gbagbo named his cabinet Tuesday and tapped a controversial figure as one of his ministers.
Gbagbo named Charles Ble Goude as minister of youth, professional education and employment. The United Nations and the United States sanctioned Goude in 2006 for publicly advocating violence against foreigners and UN personnel.
The United Nations said it was pulling hundreds of staff out of the country due to the explosive situation. At least 20 people have been killed in election-related violence, according to Amnesty International, amid a tense deadlock between the two rivals.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "remains deeply concerned" and "has been in close contact with many world leaders," spokesman Farhan Haq said.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama urged Gbagbo to leave the presidency to the "legitimate winner" of the polls in a letter late last week, a senior US official told French news agency AFP.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Obama asked Gbagbo to “abide by the results of this election and step aside” or otherwise “face greater international isolation” and “bear the consequences of what is an unjust action."
The European Union added its voice to the growing chorus of international disapproval, threatening sanctions if the crisis is not resolved fast.
Critical West African summit
West African leaders are to meet in a special summit on Ivory Coast's electoral crisis on Tuesday under pressure to help find an exit to the country's political standoff as fears of continued violence intensify.
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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Ivory Coast's membership on Tuesday, and called Gbagbo to step down immediately. Ivory Coast leaders had already been uninvited to the summit of the 15-member ECOWAS in Nigeria that started today.
The summit comes at a crucial time, following a weekend in which both Gbagbo and Ouattara swore themselves in as president of the West African state -- each naming a prime minister – and former South African president Thabo Mbeki ended mediation talks without any major announcement.
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Comments (6)
Powr-sharing deal.
The independent electoral commission declared opposition leader Alhassan Wattarra as the winner of the last month presidential election.A decision that was supported by the international community.The incumbent Laurent Gbagbo has been defiant to concede defeat.This has led to both economic and human cost.Yesterday's protest led to the loss of 30 lives,as reported by Alhassan Wattara camp.
It is a matter of the international community sticking to the results by recognising Alhassan Wattarra as the legitimate president of Ivory Coast with out any power -sharing deal.This is the third time African leaders have continued to hold power when the people say no.This is a test case for the entire world to step up and tell Gbagbo to leave and eventually face justice for the breach of the law.
COTE D'IVOIRE
It is really very sad for democracy on the African continent to have leaders such as Laurent Gbagbo who refuse to obey the wishes of the electorate. It means elections are a futile exercise in Africa as leaders who lose fail to hand over power due to greed , corruption and tribalism. The African Union (AU) must stand up and be counted on this matter. The worn out excuse of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states must be dumped into the garbage bin of history where it belongs. The AU must act decisively even if it means using force to enforce the deomcratic will of the Ivorian people.
gbagbo please resign
Again I would like to call former President Gbagbo to accept defeat and resign from power. This is democracy you and your fellow heads, rulers and presidents of Africa you have always advocated for. Gbagbo there must always be a winner when two or more compete. We no longer need Kenya and Zimbwabwe calibre
il est temps pour nous les
il est temps pour nous les africains de resoudre nos propres problemes .j'ai beaucoup de respect pour les colonisateurs;eux ils respectent leurs courts constitutionnelles,leurs lois.Nous en faisons la meme chose en respectant nos courts.les medias africains ,iln" y a pas de democratie parfait,c"est just une machine manupilatrice.donc je respecte ma constitutioncomme ses colonisateurs,gbagbo est le president.apres les cinq ans de son pouvoir nous pourons refaire une constitution conforme a la democratie.cette fois ci il a montre qu"est plus intelligent que tous ses ennemis comme Onu,Oua,Alassane,Bedie ,la rebellion et la france.Ce qu"il a fait est legal selon la constitution.
Crisis in Ivory coast
Weither Gbagbo is or remains president it does not matter to me.
However the hoe universe especially the world organizations need and must be very sharp and fair to him. How many coups against him since he became head of state? The second tour has been run like another political coup. two big leaders merge leur efforts to combat Gbagbo, and still got a very good turn out in the votes. What is very clear, is that no one is talking about how bad he has run the country; He did not. gbagbo'opponents talk about his desire to keep the power. No one is complaining about hunger, poverty like in my country-Guinea. Gbagbo is a very good leader.
France should keep its beck out of african politics.
At the beginning of the elections of the first run, I proposed my government in Ivory coast as: Gbagbo president, Outara-prime minister, Soro -minister of youth and sport. The rest of the candidates, at any position. If this was acceptable, we would not be at this stage of the crisis. But for now, Soro should not be in any govermnent. He seems to be a trouble maker.
Ivory Coast Impasse
I strongly urge the international community that no attempt must be made to settle for unity government in Ivory Coast.Gbagbo must step down.He lost election.Again if the country can longer cope as one nation as it appears to be unfolding, then it should be divided along homogenous line.
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