Ivory Coast Protests Continue as African Union Tries to Mediate Crisis
Supporters of opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara shout ＇We don＇t want Gbagbo,＇ as they stand beside a street fire set in protest at incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo remaining in office, in the Koumassi neighborhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 06 Dec 2010
Street protests in Ivory Coast＇s commercial capital, Abidjan, continue as former South African leader Thabo Mbeki works to resolve a political crisis between rival presidents.
Supporters of Alassane Ouattara burned tires in Abidjan＇s Yopougon neighborhood, shouting that they are tired of Laurent Gbagbo.
Both Mr. Ouattara and Mr. Gbagbo say they are president of Ivory Coast Mr. Ouattara on the basis of electoral commission results that show him winning 54 percent of the vote, Mr. Gbagbo on the basis of the constitutional council annulling nearly ten percent of all ballots cast to give him 51 percent of the vote.
Both men took rival oaths of office and have named competing governments. Mr. Gbagbo is backed by senior military officers who control southern regions. Mr. Ouattara is backed by former rebels who still control most northern regions.
Mr. Mbeki met with both men Sunday in hopes of resolving the dispute. His mediation continues Monday as an emissary of the African Union, which is looking for a legitimate and peaceful solution.
Mr. Ouattara＇s claim to the presidency is backed by the African Union, the United Nations, and the Economic Community of West African States as well as France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says the crisis threatens stability in West Africa. He told a development conference Monday that the situation in Ivory Coast is one that has unfortunately been seen too many times - "the story of democratic elections where the results were not accepted by those who were defeated, thus putting at risk stability and peace in their country and the region."
Mr. Gbagbo says foreign support for Mr. Ouattara threatens Ivory Coast＇s sovereignty.
Mr. Gbagbo says there are grave cases of interference in Ivory Coast and he wishes that some of those parties would hold themselves back. Mr. Gbagbo says Ivorians do not ask anyone to come and manage their country.
Mr. Gbagbo has named economist Gilbert Marie N＇gbo Ake as his new prime minister. Mr. Ouattara has chosen former rebel leader and former interim prime minister Guillaume Soro as his new prime minister and defense minister.
Soro told French radio that the Ouattara government is pursuing a peaceful resolution to the crisis but former rebels will "have no other choice" but to resume their fight if Mr. Gbagbo does not step down.
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