Gbagbo Daring The International Community: Allassane Ouattara’s Decisive Victory

10 January 2011

By Babandi Gumel

The election held in Ivory Coast end of November last year was regarded as free and fair judged by all International Standard. No wonder the ECOWAS the African Union the European Union as well as the United Nations collectively accepted the result in favour of the former Prime Minister previously denied contesting the election by his rival the incumbent President Gbagbo when it was announced.  

The Country’s Electoral Commission declared Allassane Ouattara Leader of the RDR as having secured over 54% while his rival the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo of the FPI got about 46%.While the results were being announced on Television live supporters of Gbagbo were seen on air seizing documents and microphone from the electoral official contesting the result making the Constitutional Council reversing the result in favour of the incumbent President Gbagbo.   

The Constitutional Council which is the Highest Governing Body like the Election Appeal Tribunal decided on the matter claiming that Mr Gbagbo scored 51% while his rival Ouattara secured over 49% of the votes cast. The unfolding impasse left the Country in political turmoil leading to crisis that left more than 200 people dead. African leaders have been trying to mediate in the dispute which saw the incumbent President Gbagbo refusing to hand over power to his rival Allassane Ouatarra internationally recognised as the victor in the election  re-run held on the 28^th November.  

Allassane Ouattara a Muslim from the North was previously refused to stand in the Presidential election by Constitutional Court despite the fact that he served as the Prime Minister under Late Hougphet Boigny the founding father of the Country.  

In 2002 some soldiers mutinied and marched on Abidjan on the verge of seizing power when the French soldiers stopped them leading to the division of the country into two which led to a peace deal that allowed the northerners mainly Muslims voting right previously refused on the pretext that they were not citizens leading to civil war.  

After the election Ouattara secured majority votes which Gbagbo’s  supporters complained that it was rigged in his favour. The constitutional Council annulled the election again on the pretext that it was marred with violence in the North which observers pointed the contrary saying it was peaceful and democratic.  

Anyhow the African Union, ECOWAS, EU the USA and UN have all recognised Mr Ouattara  as the winner in the election but Mr Gbagbo refused to step down and hand over power to his rival despite the clear verdid. African Countries including the ECOWAS have threatened to use force if possible to oust the incumbent Gbagbo if he refused to concede defeat. Liberian mercenaries are said to be backing Mr Gbagbo while 10,000 UN Peace Keeping Force stationed in the Country are helping to keep peace at the same time protecting the presumed winner Mr Ouattara holed in  a Hotel outside the Capital.  

They have been threatened by supporters of Mr Gbagbo who rejected any mediation leading to the sharing of power put forward by the African Union after election disputes in some countries.  

African leaders headed by Sierra Leone Leader Koroma  were trying to persuade President Gbagbo  to hand over power to Ouattarra in a new bid to find a lasting solution  to the impasse that may give amnesty to  Mr Gbagbo accused of unnecessarily  causing the crisis.  

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga representing African Union has assured President Gbagbo and his supporters of safety and security if they cede power to Allassane Ouattara seen as conceding to his previous stance of forcing Gbagbo out of power by using force position taken by the West African Community States of the ECOWAS who insisted that the President has to give up power which he refused making the crisis more protracted. 

So far the two opposing leaders have claimed the presidency and were both sworn in as Presidents of one and the same Country .It seems as if Gbagbo is daring and challenging the International Community and their uncompromising resolve in a bid to cling to power by all means a ploy used on the previous occasions to maintain the status quo which has apparently backfired.  

There is no much time left for him as the International Community including ECOWAS seemed to be on the side of the Mr Ouattarra acknowledged as the presumed winner in the election which caused unnecessary constitutional crisis artificially created in order to stop Allassane Ouatattara from taking over  power in Cote D’voir. He was previously denied contesting the presidential election by his opponents on the pretext that he was not a citizen of the Country in order to perpetuate the reign of Gbagbo who has less democratic credentials than Ouattarra former Economist and Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund drafted by Late Houphet- Boigny to help rescue the economy making him Prime Minister.  

After  Boigny’s death  former President Konan Beddie used the Nationalist card against Ouattarra in order to sideline him from the presidential contest the same card used by Gbagbo to bar Ouattarra for another five years until last year.  

Allaassane Ouatttara is known to be a hard working a transparent fellow keen on good governance therefore appointed Guillame Soro a Christian from the North who until his appointment was the Prime Minister of the incumbent Gbagbo fellow Christian Southerner wanting to cling to power by all means.  

President Sarkozy of France has telephoned Laurent Gbagbo to remind him that Ivorian people have chosen their new President in a transparent election and President Obama has congratulated Nigeria and the ECOWAS on their stand siding with Ouattarra and sidelining Gbagbo as the choice of the people sending a strong signal to him.  

Gone were the days when leaders with dictatorial tendencies no longer allowed get away with their sentimental cards winning the emotional support of their innocent gullible victims without someone challenging them.   

It is left to be seen whether President Gbagbo would peacefully hand over the baton to Ouattarra or has to be grabbed forcefully with the help of UN and the ECOMOG who could be on standby in a protracted struggle described by the media as a classic case of an African incumbent refusing to stand down after losing an election master minding a constitutional coup making Ivory Coast having two Presidents and multiple paradoxes thus undermining democracy which would be unacceptable.

Wa Akhiri Daawana Anil Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen

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