Tension is mounting in Abidjan, capital of the West African state of Cote d’Ivoire shortly after that country’s head of the electoral commission, Thursday December 2 announced that former IMF employee Alassane Dramane Ouattara (ADO) winner in the recent presidential run off.
According to Youssouf Bakayoko, head of the Ivorian electoral commission, who, because of security reasons, was announcing the results at a hotel in Abidjan and not at the headquarters of the electoral commission, Ouattara got 54.1 percent of the vote while his opponent, incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo got 45.9 percent.
But almost immediately after the announcement, Paul Yao Ndre, the head of the constitutional council, which has the final word on election issues in Cote d’Ivoire made his own announcement saying the results announced by Bakayoko were not valid and that more credible results would be announced in the next few hours. Ndre is believed to be a staunch supporter of Gbagbo. In any case Gbagbo, as president, appointed him as head of the council for a six-year term as laid down by the Ivorian constitution.
Meanwhile the Ivorian army has announced, Thursday evening, that all Ivorian borders have been closed until further notice and that foreign media will be closely monitired and restricted to maintain "calm and peace" in the country. A curfew is also in place.
However US ambassador Susan Rice, the current chairperson of the UN Security Council, has indicated that the UN has accepted the results announced by Bakayoko which declared Ouattara winner. Rice also warned that the UN would take drastic measures against anybody that tries to stifle the electoral process and the work of the electoral commission.
It’s not exactly known what the UN would do if Ndre comes up later with new results declaring Gbagbo winner instead of Ouattara. Gbagbo had earlier said he and his team will do "everything possible" to secure victory.
Photo: Alassane Dramane Ouattara, popularly known as ADO.
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