Latest update: 09/12/2010 

- African Union - Alassane Ouattara - ECOWAS - elections - Ivory Coast - Laurent Gbagbo


African Union suspends Ivory Coast over election dispute

The African Union suspended Ivory Coast Thursday until incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo cedes power to challenger Alassane Ouattara. The decision comes hours after the UN Security Council came out in favour of Ouattara.

By Kathryn STAPLEY / Pierrick Leurent (video)
FRANCE 24 (text)
 

The African Union (AU) suspended Ivory Coast Thursday. The West African nation is barred from participating in further AU activities "until the democratically elected president Alassane Ouattara takes power", the organisation's Peace and Security Commissionner said Thursday.

Syndicate contentLaurent Gbagbo - Portrait

The country's electoral commission has declared Ouattara the winner by nearly 10 points, following Ivory Coast's Nov. 28 presidential elections. But the Constitutional Council — headed by a Gbagbo ally — overruled that result, charging fraud in some areas, and declared Gbagbo winner.

Earlier Thursday, the UN Security Council also came out in support of Ouattara, officially backing him as the winner of the disputed elections and thereby bolstering his challenge to incumbent Laurent Gbagbo.

But the Security Council’s statement had been held up since last Friday by Russia after the country voiced concerns that the UN would be overstepping its mandate by taking sides in the results of the Ivory Coast presidential election.

UN denounces attempt to “subvert” electorate’s will

In the statement ultimately agreed upon, the 15-nation Security Council cited ECOWAS’s recognition of Ouattara as president-elect and called on all involved “to respect the outcome of the election”.

Though Gbagbo was not explicitly mentioned in the statement, the Security Council condemned “in the strongest possible terms any attempt to subvert the popular will of the people”.

The council also said it would impose “targeted measures” against those standing in the way of the peace process or UN efforts in Ivory Coast.

Syndicate contentAlassane Ouattara - Portrait

The US, the EU, and the West African ECOWAS bloc had already called for Gbagbo to cede power to his rival.

The last several days in Ivory Coast have seen a tense deadlock, with both Gbagbo and Ouattara swearing themselves in and naming governments. There have been fears both at home and abroad that the new political flare-up would send the country spinning back toward the ethnic violence of the years that followed the civil war.

Comments (13)

african states will never attain democratic leadership

very few african sitting presidents have ever conceaded defeat.this is because in africa unlike in the democratic states of the west(other continents),people look at politics as an employment source rather than a service.with all the power given by the authority our leaders enjoy no one is ever willing to concede defeat.in Uganda it is on record that one former president once admitted that that chair(state house)is warm and was not ready to leave power.this makes me doubt if we were even ready for independence

election dispute

Quattara will win the would's heart if he steps aside for the greedy gbagbo to remain as president for the next 2000 years.

Ivory Coast

Having lived in West Africa after the Biafran war and waining colonial influence, it is good to see your Paris Debate having representatives from both sides. The democratic political process must be developed alongside the economic. Colonial blue print favoritism constitutions will not work, African regional and tribal power sharing constitutions must be a stepping stone, not bloody global business interests in polarised divisive arms mongering escapades. Wake up Africa.

POWER RAIN

I do not know why African's leaders always make a mess of our continet in the international world, let for once show the world that we are indeed civilized and can manage ourselve than asking for aids.

relief

this is the time the A U and west world should set brigter example

Illegal Legitimacy

As an ordinary political observer, I would like to express my carefully considered but brief analytic opinion about the political crisis in the Ivory Coast. It has been characterised by Alassane as an institutional coup and almost all major powers have allied themselves with Alassane. My own observation is that both Allassane and Gbagbo had set a trap for each other. The former had the New Forces(Rebel forces)bent on intimidating voters to vote for him while the latter had the constitutiional council to validate the results by the electoral commission that enjoys internation support from the UN, EU, ECOWAS and the USA yet cannot overide the power of the constitutional committee of the Sovereign State of the Ivory Coast.Almost everyone, including myslf would have wished a change of government in the Ivory Coast,but the laws of the land is paramount and the solution to the current crisis should be directed towards these findings.
To me, the best way out, is to disarm all the rebel held zones where it is alledged the electoral fraud took place and a new elections held without any hand of either party. That is to say, a complete new electoral process with only international observers to organise the vote and the results announced within hours of voting. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO COME OUT OF THE CURRENT IMPASSE AND NOT TARGETTED SANCTIONS AND PRESSURE, THAT MAKE THE PEOPLE SUFFER AND DRAG NATIONS BACK INTO THE WILDERNESS.

why gbagbo is not wiilling to hand over power

most probably he could have committed some atrocities and mismanaged the economy and doesn't wantthem get revealed.further inquiries need to be carried out by the concerned authorities.African leaders never want to leave power because they believe it is only when they are sitting presidents that the courts of law won't execute them.UN needs to act.

problèmes en afrique

Je suis sure bien que la france et l´étets unies cherche toujour leur interets par tout en Afrique. Après la colonisation, aujourd´huil c´est le vole ideal qu´ils font maintenant en Afrique. Je prend un exemple en Guinée, la france et Alpha Conte. Alpha Conte a pris beaucoup de credit depuis au temps de Amend Skou Touré jusqu´à aujourd´huil. Donc si la France ne surporte pas Alpha Conte, sa veut dire la France ne peut pas retrouver cet qu´elle dépensé pour Alpha Conte.
Le monde ne connaît pas dabord la Guinée appartien à qui. Quand à nous, le Mont-Nimba sera le lieu où le monde comprendra que il ya deux personalités en Guinée. Et si les deux persons ne sont pas pour, pour l´exploitation du Mont-Nimba, sa ne peut pas marcher. Nous luttons speritualement. Le Liberia et la Côte d´ivoire ont finir d´exploité une partie et c´est pourquoi il a eu de guèrre dans les deux pays. Si la Guinée faire la même chose, sa veut dire que la Guinée va experiencer de même. Jesus et prophet Mohamed sont en Guinée le monde doit comprendre sa aujourd´huil. Après quelque années les choces automatiques vont stopper. Et c´est le temps d´africanisme. Il ya 77777 membres blancs et comme africaines partour dans le monde qui vont accomprisent cette mission.

comments

gbaqbo thats being selffish give power to your friend yo time is over.

African elec tions

We hope the World Powers act just as powerfully when Robert Mugabe will try to steel next year elections in Zimbabwe!

In part africain and world wild

I am calling the world enter to face the problem of Laurent Gbagbo as he lose the election and refuse to quit the reign does he want to makes the reign as an heritage he us direct by he is wife.If nothing is don on it we menace a group that is in-excite will be in ivory coast to let him out of the reign this is a first warn giving to some African leaders trying to makes the reign the are house family

Surely this could have been pre-emted

I really do not understand what is going on in the Ivory Coast, all I know is the UN and all the other African Unity countries, should have forseen this, they have a data-base of history - yet they cannot put in place, election observers to prevent all of this going down... The planing of the first South African (freedom elections) was a success, we also had factions and war that was not settle through a armed winner - but the world wanted us to success and we formed a government of national unity - eventualy the rotten narrow minded politicians expose themselves for who they really are, walk out of parliament like sulking children and we all move on... So what is it about not caring for the people of the Ivory Coast and not just seeing how much leverage the politicians have on the international arena.. Come on people - Shanti, Shanti, the world is running out of water and food is going to be more and more of an issue... Love the world, respect yourselves and others.

Too Little,Too late

Suspension from a wightless organisation like AU is not enough.UN should intervene, and put a travel ban on Gbagbo and his mercenery Ministers.At the same time, they should freeze all the assets of Gbagbo et al, and all the account of Ivorian Institutions

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