Bumpy road ahead for newly sworn in Ivorian President

http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/bumpy-road-ahead-newly-sworn-ivorian-president

The Ivorian capital, Yamoussoukro, welcomed a host of guests for the inauguration of President Alassane Ouattara yesterday. The newly sworn in President is faced with the gigantic and urgent task of rebuilding the country.

Alassane Ouattara owes his presidential seat to the people of Ivory Coast. He did not have an army at his disposal when he needed armed forces to oust incumbent Laurent Gbagbo. ... it is no secret that his effective ascension to power was made possible by military assistance from the United Nations (UN) and France. These ally forces were essential in securing the capture of Abidjan as well as Laurent Gbagbo’s arrest by pro-Ouattara forces.

Former President Henri Konan Bédié and his electoral base could also claim their due form the newly inaugurated president.

Indeed, after his defeat in the first round of the October 2010 presidential elections, Bédié, who only managed to secure 27% of the votes, instructed his supporters to vote for Alassane Ouattara in the second round. Without these all-important additional votes, Ouattara could not have obtained the absolute majority required to win the presidential race.

Ivorian presidential election, 2010

http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/bumpy-road-ahead-newly-sworn-ivorian-president

The events leading up to the second round and following it were characterized by serious tension and some incidents of violence, and the preliminary report of the Carter Center "cautions against a rush to judgment regarding the overall credibility of the election", but most observers considered that the overall result was not compromised, and that the election was essentially free and fair. On 2 December 2010, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) released provisional results showing that Ouattara had won the election in the second round with 54% of the vote. However the President of the Constitutional Council immediately declared that the results were invalid and the next day, the Constitutional Council declared Gbagbo the winner. Both Gbagbo and Ouattara claimed victory and took the presidential oath of office. The ensuing events led to the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis.

The international community, including the United Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union, the United States, and former colonial power France have affirmed their support for Ouattara, who is "almost universally acknowledged to have defeated at the ballot box," and have called for Gbagbo to step down. On 18 December, Gbagbo ordered all UN peacekeepers to leave the country. However, the UN has refused, and the Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN Mission in Côte d'Ivoire until 30 June 2011. International powers have been in talks to enlarge the UN force in the Ivory Coast. The World Bank has halted loans to the country and travel restrictions have been placed on Gbagbo and his political allies. The rising political tensions resulted in a sharp jump in cocoa prices, up to an increase of 10 percent. The Ivory Coast is the world's largest producer of the crop.