Côte d'Ivoire - News Archive

Cote d'Ivoire to hold December poll

Posted: 09/28/2011
Cote d’Ivoire’s government announced last week that parliamentary elections will be held on Dec. 11.This will be the first election in the since the presidential poll held in April. The election triggered widespread violence that left more than 3,000 people dead. The international war crimes court announced on Monday it will investigate crimes committed in the post-election period.

Source: ElectionGuide

Standoff in Cote d’Ivoire

Posted: 12/06/2010
Fears of political violence mounted this week after Cote d’Ivoire’s rival presidential candidates named their own governments. Although the United Nations declared Alassane OUATTARA the winner of the November 28 runoff vote, incumbent President Laurent GBAGBO named his prime minister, and defied calls to step down. Last Thursday, the Electoral Commission announced that OUATTARA was the winner of the election with 54 percent of the vote. The Constitutional Council, however, rejected the decision, and named GBAGBO the winner.

Source: ElectionGuide

Côte d'Ivoire: Constitutional Council Overturns Poll Result, Declares Gbagbo Winner

Posted: 12/03/2010
Cote d'Ivoire's Constitutional Council has overturned poll results announced by the nation's electoral commission and declared President Laurent Gbagbo the winner Sunday's election, reports said.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Côte d'Ivoire: Election Chaos Keeps Ivoirians on Edge

Posted: 12/02/2010
More than a month after a long-overdue presidential election, Ivoirians still do not know who their president is, trapped in a post-election limbo marked by violence, the tearing up of ballot papers and bitter recriminations between rival political groups. "We simply do not know what is going on," a civil society activist told IRIN.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote d’Ivoire holds first round of presidential election

Posted: 10/31/2010
Almost 80 percent of Cote d’Ivoire’s registered voters participated in Sunday’s presidential election. Results from the first round show that current President Laurent GBAGBO has received 38 percent of the vote, while former Prime Minister Alassane OUATTARA captured 32 percent. As no candidate received an absolute majority of votes in the first round, a second round will be held on November 28. Former President Henri Konan BEDIE, who received 25 percent of the vote, accused the Election Commission of fraud during the tabulation process. The election, originally scheduled for 2005, has been postponed six times.

Source: ElectionGuide

Cote d'Ivoire to hold election on October 31

Posted: 10/26/2010
Despite fears of more delays, Cote d'Ivoire's presidential election will take place on October 31, a UN representative confirmed on Monday. The divided nation has been overdue for a vote since 2005, when current President Laurent GBAGBO’s term ended. The country resolved a potential hurdle on Monday when Prime Minister Guillaume SORO announced that votes will be tabulated by an independent body. Opposition parties had complained that the previous method of vote counting established by the Election Commission would have favored GBAGO.

Source: ElectionGuide

Cote d'Ivoire Candidates Agree on Voter List

Posted: 09/06/2010
Presidential candidates in Cote d'Ivoire have agreed on a new voter registry for October’s election. Disagreements over voter eligibility have delayed the election, which is now scheduled for October 31. Supporters of President Laurent GBAGBO rejected earlier lists, which they claimed included ineligible voters, namely migrant workers from neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Mali. Opposition candidates argued that the objections were attempts to disenfranchise likely opposition supporters. All presidential candidates have agreed on the new list, which the electoral commission will publish by October 12. The presidential election has been delayed seven times in the past five years.

Source: ElectionGuide

Cote d'Ivoire: Nation Goes to Polls on October 31

Posted: 08/05/2010
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d'Ivoire today took note of the announcement of a new date for the country's presidential election, and urged that a credible timetable be set up for the repeatedly-delayed polls.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Côte d'Ivoire: Gbagbo Says Elections Will Take Place in 2010

Posted: 06/01/2010
In an exclusive interview with RFI, Côte d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo has pledged that long-delayed elections will take place before the end of the year.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote d'Ivoire: UN Envoy Discusses Election With Ouattara

Posted: 05/13/2010
The top United Nations envoy in Cote d'Ivoire, Y. J. Choi, has met with the leader of the Rally of Republicans (RDR) political party, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, to discuss the situation in the West African country, particularly issues related to the electoral process and reunification.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote d'Ivoire: More Peacekeepers Needed, Say Analysts

Posted: 05/13/2010
An additional police unit and more troops should be added to the UN Office in Cote d'Ivoire's peacekeeping presence of 8,500 troops, to keep the peace in the west, say the International Crisis Group (ICG) and aid officials.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote d'Ivoire: UN Acts to Kickstart Electoral Process

Posted: 03/11/2010
The United Nations Representative in Cote d'Ivoire met today with the new President of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in a bid to reenergize a stalled electoral process further delayed by last month's dissolution of the Government and deadly street protests.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote d'Ivoire: Crisis Within a Crisis Delays Elections Again

Posted: 02/21/2010
A week after President Laurent Gbagbo dissolved the government and the electoral commission, thousands marched in the city of Bouake, damaging cars and shops. There have been almost daily demonstrations in cities across the country as Cote d'Ivoire's political crisis deepens.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Ivoiren Election Officials Offer No Date

Posted: 11/11/2009
Election commission chief Robert MAMBE told reporters on Wednesday that transitional elections will be "a little bit late," but he did not offer a day. His announcement officiated a decision last week to postpone November 29’s transitional vote. According to MAMBE, the commission will set a date when all major parties have agreed on one. They are supposed to meet this weekend with foreign mediators. Despite continued disagreement over the voter roll, President Laurent GBAGBO was publicly adamant this summer about elections on November 29. United Nations officials are meanwhile said to distribute provisional registers.

Source: ElectionGuide

Ivorien Elections Again Postponed

Posted: 11/04/2009
Citing disagreement over the voter registry, Ivoirien President Laurent GBAGBO has again postponed transitional Presidential elections due on November 29. Officials have pushed back Presidential and legislative elections every autumn since 2005. GBAGBO in August said political disagreements over the vote had been resolved, and officials transmitted a voter roll to him in October under international pressure. Civil war rocked C�te d’Ivoire from 2002 to 2005, with several peace gestures between rebels and GBAGBO’S government from 2003 to present. Ghanaian President John ATTA-MILLS has offered assistance from his country’s election authority.

Source: ElectionGuide

Officials Publish Awaited Ivorien Voter Roll

Posted: 10/07/2009
Election authorities this week delivered a provisional voter roll to President Laurent GBAGBO, reducing concerns among political actors and the international community that November 29's transitional election would again be postponed. The government has pushed back internationally mandated elections each autumn since 2005. United Nations officials last week criticized Ivorien leaders for delays in compiling the roll, which has been a source of contention between former parties to a civil war ending in 2003. While GBAGBO'S term officially ended in 2005, he has continued in office since then. Last week he told reporters that the election would go forward as planned, but he did not repeat this claim when accepting the list. GBAGBO on Wednesday announced his campaign for re-election.

Source: ElectionGuide

UN Warns Ivory Coast To Complete Voter Roll

Posted: 09/29/2009
A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) statement on Tuesday criticized officials in the Ivory Coast for delays in publishing voter rolls. The delays, the UN said, could jeopardize the timeliness of Presidential elections due on November 29. According to President Laurent GBAGBO, the election will not be postponed. UNSC members voted to "reexamine" the situation on October 15.

Source: ElectionGuide

United Nations Urges November Vote

Posted: 07/31/2009
A United Nations Security Council resolution last Thursday extended peacekeeping in the Ivory Coast through January 31 and urged the government to proceed with general elections due on November 29. Presidential and Parliamentary elections are due under a 2007 peace agreement concluded between representatives of the country’s north and south. Voters in the Ivory Coast have waited over four years to elect new leadership, with the government postponing internationally mandated elections each autumn since 2005. Following a brief civil war ending in 2003, rebels in the north of the country have been skeptical of election administrators, mostly from the country’s south. Migration flows from neighboring countries furthermore have complicated voter registration efforts.

Source: ElectionGuide

Cote d'Ivoire - Ivorian Leader And UN Envoy Discuss Peace Process

Posted: 07/13/2009
The top United Nations envoy to Cote d'Ivoire has held talks with the President of the West African nation on progress made in the peace process, including voter identification and registration, as well as the upcoming long-awaited presidential elections.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Ivory Coast Schedules Presidential Election For November

Posted: 05/15/2009
Prime Minister Guillaume SORO announced last Thursday that his government will hold national elections on November 29. Voters in the Ivory Coast have waited over four years to elect new leadership, with the government postponing internationally mandated elections each autumn since 2005. Following a brief civil war ending in 2003, rebels in the north of the country have been skeptical of government election administrators’ intentions.

Source: ElectionGuide

Ivory Coast polls 'by December'

Posted: 04/29/2009
Ivory Coast's ambassador to the UN says his country's much-delayed presidential poll will take place by the end of this year.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Leader Promises Post-Conflict Elections

Posted: 04/29/2009
President Laurent GBAGBO promised to hold the first-round of presidential elections between October 11 and December 6, 2009. Unable to agree on who should be eligible to vote, leaders repeatedly have postponed the election, originally due in 2005. A 2002 coup attempt against GBAGBO sparked civil unrest, which ended in March 2007 with a United Nations-brokered peace agreement. The agreement called for elections before reunification, but a supplemental agreement in December 2008 reversed that process. According to Alcide DJEDJE, Ambassador for Ivory Coast to the UN Security Council, the Independent Electoral Commission has registered about 6 million of 8.6 million potential voters.

Source: ElectionGuide

Cote d'Ivoire: UN Wants Elections Scheduled Soon

Posted: 02/12/2009
United Nations officials today called on Cote d'Ivoire's leaders to set a timetable as soon as possible for much-delayed presidential elections so that the vote can take place in the divided West African country in the latter half of this year.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote D'Ivoire Presidential Election is Officially Postponed

Posted: 11/12/2008
Ivorian leaders agreed to postpone the presidential election originally scheduled for November 30 due to voter registration delays as well as security concerns. The elections have been repeatedly delayed since the expiration of President Laurant GBAGBO's term in 2006. The high-level group overseeing the peace process in Cote D'Ivoire, led by Burkina Faso President Blaise COMPAORE, called on the Ivoirian electoral commission to meet with stakeholders and decide on a new election timetable prior to December 31. The voter registration process, which began in earnest this year after long delays, has been marred by recent attacks at voter registration sites. Voter registration and the right of citizens to vote are indispensable parts of the country's peace process in the aftermath of an armed uprising in 2002 that enjoyed considerable support in the north of the country, where citizens complained they were treated as foreigners and excluded from political processes. Muslim northerners continue to complain of discrimination in voter registration while southerners complain that citizens from Mali and Burkina Faso are seeking to gain Ivorian citizenship.

Source: ElectionGuide

Ivorian poll officially postponed

Posted: 11/11/2008
Ivory Coast's leaders officially agree to postpone elections, citing delays in voter registration and security concerns.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

Cote d'Ivoire: UN Anxious at Readiness for Polls

Posted: 08/27/2008
Senior United Nations officials in West Africa have stressed the importance of starting the identification and registration processes for the upcoming presidential polls in Côte d'Ivoire as soon as possible, voicing concern over delays in the preparations.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

COTE D'IVOIRE: Child sacrifice on rise in election run-up

Posted: 06/26/2008
ABIDJAN, 25 June 2008 (IRIN) - Child abduction, which is already a serious problem in Cote d'Ivoire, may worsen in the run up to presidential elections later this year as political hopefuls using traditional myths of human sacrifice to improve their electoral chances will fuel an already significant market for stolen children, according to the Ivorian police.

Read full story. Source: United Nations - OCHA IRIN

Child Abductions on the Rise Prior to Elections in Cote D'Ivoire

Posted: 06/26/2008
Yesterday police in Cote D'Ivoire stated in a report that child abductions could increase in the lead-up to the November general elections. The Ivoirian police department's child protection unit reports that the practice of child sacrifice always increases around election time, as political hopefuls seek to improve their showing at the polls by turning to traditional myths of human sacrifice. Authorities noted that the problem of child abductions has already reached worrying proportions, with the police currently registering an average of three new abduction cases each day. Cote D'Ivoire is home to a significant market for stolen children who are trafficked for illegal adoptions, sexual slavery, harvesting transplant organs, or human sacrifices. The Ivorian ministry of family, women and children issued a statement that further measures against child abduction would be announced soon.

Source: ElectionGuide

Cote d'Ivoire: Presidential Elections Date Set

Posted: 04/30/2008
The Security Council today welcomed the news that Cote d'Ivoire will be holding previously delayed presidential elections on 30 November, and urged the West African nation to redouble its efforts to meet that vital goal on the path to peace.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote d'Ivoire: Presidential Poll Set For November

Posted: 04/15/2008
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) today welcomed the announcement that the country's much delayed presidential elections will now be held on 30 November this year.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Peace plan for ICoast agreed

Posted: 03/04/2007
President Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast signs a peace accord with rebels aimed at reuniting the country.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

Ivorian plan to sideline Gbagbo

Posted: 10/12/2006
Ivory Coast opposition leader Alassane Ouattara proposes a radical government overhaul.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

Ivorian poll delay as talks fail

Posted: 09/21/2006
A crisis meeting in New York is boycotted by President Gbagbo leading the UN to confirm October polls will not take place.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

Ivorian cabinet plans put on hold

Posted: 09/07/2006
Ivory Coast's opposition rules out joining a unity cabinet after the previous one was sacked over a waste scandal.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

Cote d'Ivoire: Talks Fail to Resolve Election Stand-Off

Posted: 09/06/2006
A mini-summit of Cote d'Ivoire's main political leaders ended in disagreement after participants failed to reach consensus on preparations for delayed elections aimed at restoring peace in the divided country.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Ivorian poll deadline impossible

Posted: 08/24/2006
Ivory Coast will not be able to hold elections before the 31 October deadline, a UN envoy says.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

Cote d'Ivoire: Gbagbo Vows to Remain in Power Until the Next Elections

Posted: 08/08/2006
President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire has said he and the existing parliament will not budge from power until elections can be held - even if they are delayed beyond the existing October 30 deadline.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Ivorian president says he'll rule until elections

Posted: 08/07/2006
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has said he wants to hold long-delayed elections by the end of the year but insisted he will stay in office in the war-divided nation until they take place.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Ivorian militias begin to disband

Posted: 07/27/2006
Militias who support Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo begin to lay down their arms, a key part of a peace deal.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

Cote d'Ivoire: More Violence Surrounding Identification Programme

Posted: 07/26/2006
A programme of identification of Ivorian nationals, a key element to restoring peace in Cote d'Ivoire, has again sparked violence that left one dead in a tourist resort on the outskirts of the main city Abidjan.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Ivorian ID scheme 'will continue'

Posted: 07/25/2006
Ivory Coast's prime minister says the controversial ID scheme will continue despite angry clashes.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

Identity Card Distribution begins in Preparation for October Elections

Posted: 07/17/2006
A program of identity card distribution began on July 15 to register 3.5 million people of foreign origin for upcoming elections in October. As part of this process, magistrates will host hearings to establish Ivorian identity. The ruling Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party of President Laurent GBAGBO announced previously that it would obstruct any attempts to distribute identity papers to foreigners. On July 20, supporters of President GBAGBO gathered in Abidjan to protest the program. Rebels argue that northerners and those of foreign birth experience continuous discrimination. The controversy over identity cards was one of the original catalysts for the country's four-year civil war.

Source: ElectionGuide

Ivorian ID papers handout begins

Posted: 07/13/2006
Ivory Coast starts a crucial programme to distribute identity papers, a key step to elections due in October.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Cote d'Ivoire: Election Schedule Could Move to Year-End - Annan

Posted: 07/03/2006
Speaking after a meeting with Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said an October deadline set for the war-divided country to hold elections may have to be allowed to slip until the end of the year - but no later.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote d'Ivoire: UN Eyes Election Preparations

Posted: 05/22/2006
The United Nations Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (ONUCI) is closely watching that country's preparations for the upcoming national elections, which are considered vital for the success of the UN-led peace efforts, officials with the world body have said.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Ivorians take step towards polls

Posted: 05/18/2006
The first stage of a disarmament and ID programme begins in Ivory Coast, hoping to pave the way for October polls.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition

COTE D IVOIRE: President and Prime Minister in disarmament stand-off

Posted: 04/19/2006
Cote d'Ivoire's President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny appear to be locked in disagreement over the thorny issue of disarmament, the main stumbling block to holding presidential elections, according to statements made over the weekend and on Tuesday.

Read full story. Source: United Nations - OCHA IRIN

Cote d'Ivoire: Election Deadline May Slip, Prime Minister

Posted: 04/14/2006
Cote d'Ivoire's mediator prime minister Charles Konan Banny, brought in to invigorate a hobbling peace process, told reporters in France that an existing 31 October deadline for presidential elections may be delayed.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Cote d'Ivoire Announces Presidential Election Date of October 30, 2005

Posted: 05/04/2005
Presidential elections have been set for October 30, 2005. President Laurent Gbagbo also announced a reversal of the barrier to the candidacy of opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, a key demand of rebel groups who see this as necessary for democratic elections. In 2000, Ouattara was excluded from the presidential elections. Opposition to the ban contributed to the attempted coup that sparked a civil war in 2002.

Source: ElectionGuide

Cote d'Ivoire Sets Presidential Election Date to October 2005

Posted: 04/11/2005
Presidential elections are on schedule for October 2005 after President Laurent Gbagbo and opposition leaders signed the Pretoria Accord on April 7, 2005.  These elections are seen as key to bringing peace to the country which was plunged into civil war after a failed coup in September 2002.  The only obstacle to elections now is that the president and opposition groups must reach a consensus concerning article 35 of the constitution.  This article stipulates that both parents of a presidential candidate must be Côte d’Ivoire citizens.  South African President Thabo Mbeki, appointed to mediate the process, will consult with the African Union and United Nations and present a decision this week.

Source: ElectionGuide

Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Cote d'Ivoire could be Delayed, says UN

Posted: 04/06/2005
The United Nations warns that presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October and December 2005, respectively, are in danger of being delayed for several months.  The elections are seen as key to bringing peace to the country, which was plunged into civil war after a failed coup in September 2002.  Important problems have arisen in the electoral process regarding the update of electoral lists, the criteria for presidential eligibility, and the composition of the Independent Electoral Commission.  Talks between the government and rebel groups have broken down recently, and last month several opposition parties suspended participation in the Independent Electoral Commission.  South African President Thabo Mbeki, appointed to mediate the process by the African Union, has called for a summit in the beginning of April to revive peace talks.

Source: ElectionGuide

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