Ivorian presidential election, 2010
The presidential elections in Ivory Coast were held in 2010 on 31 October 2010 and 28 November 2010. As a result of the civil war in Ivory Coast, which was originally intended for 2005 elections were postponed several times. Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo won the first round of elections before his main challenger Alassane Ouattara.
According to the " Independent Election Commission " ( CEI Commission électorale Indépendante de Côte d' Ivoire) opposition leader Ouattara had won the runoff election on November 28, 2010, compared Gbagbo. The Constitutional ( Constitutional Council ) disagreed with the Electoral Commission and declared Gbagbo the winner. Despite international protests put Laurent Gbagbo 4 December 2010 before the Constitutional Council an oath of office for a second term in office. Shortly thereafter, however also laid Alassane Ouattara in a letter addressed to the Constitutional oath of office as president, so that the Ivory Coast until April 2011 had two presidents.
Background - division and civil war
The elections were conducted in a divided country. The rebels of the Forces Nouvelles de Côte d' Ivoire ( FN ) held the northern part and the southern part of government troops in Ivory Coast. The division of the country was the result of the prevailing between 2002 and 2007 civil war in the Ivory Coast, in turn, belongs to the history of the exclusion of candidates and voters with an immigrant background from the northern neighboring countries of Cote d'Ivoire, among others in the presidential elections in Ivory Coast in 1995 and 2000. The elections were originally scheduled for 2005, but have since been postponed several times.
Ahead
- RDR, Alassane Ouattara, the Rassemblement républicains de Côte d'Ivoire
- PDCI, Henri Konan Bédié, Parti Démocratique de Côte d' Ivoire
- LMP, Laurent Gbagbo, La Majorité Présidentielle
A total of 14 candidates for the presidential elections of 2010 were admitted. The three promising candidate Henri Konan Bédié, Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo were both actors of this history. Bédié had as President in the elections of 1995 and 2000 prevented the candidacy of his coming from the north of the country competitors Ouattara, as he drew the Ivorian ( Ivory Coast = citizen of the Ivory Coast) citizenship of its parents in doubt and a clause introduced, according to which only persons whose both parents are Ivorian citizen may run for president. This Act outraged many northern Ivorians who maintain traditional family ties to neighboring countries or their ancestors frequently originate from there. Gbagbo, President of Ivory Coast since 2000, used the same strategy of exclusion of North Ivorians as its predecessor Bédié. In his presidential therefore falls also the beginning of the civil war in 2002. Audiences In so-called foraines should be clarified in 2006, who is Ivorian citizen and thus eligible to vote. Gbagbo's supporters were accused of going to have the registration of northern Ivorians seriously hampered. The three candidates have distinct regional and ethnic rootedness: Ouattara is the north of the country, Bédié for the center and Gbagbo for the South.
The SRSG Choi Young -jin approved on 24 September 2010, the final list of voters. The approval was part of the ceasefire agreement of Ouagadougou.
Six candidates were not admitted: Boagnon Breiguai Charles, Yaya Coulibaly nable, Gaha Degna Hippolyte, Goba David, Guédé José Abel and Kéita Tiémoko.
First ballot
Three candidates together received about 95 percent of all votes.
The turnout was 83 percent and was one of the highest in elections in Africa at all. The feared unrest at the election result did not materialize. International observers spoke of predominantly fair elections. Only the losing parties, Henri Konan Bédié, doubted the result and demanded a recount of the votes.
Second round
The run-off between Gbagbo and Ouattara took place on 28 November 2010. Bédié and Ouattara had agreed before the election, to support each other in a runoff election against Gbagbo. In addition, the opposition leader Ouattara was supported by the former rebels.
Prior to the run-off election, there were violent clashes between the supporters of both candidates. To ensure a peaceful end of the ballot, the United Nations increased the contingent of peacekeepers in the UN Mission UNOCI. Even on election day there were bloody riots that cost several lives. African election observers from Korhogo reported Urnenkonfiszierungen and " choice recommendations " under threat of violence. This representation is consistent with the impressions which the FAZ has won in telephone conversations with residents of large cities in the north. By contrast, European Union observers described the election process as largely correct. These were not deployed in the disputed northern regions.
Aftermath
Dispute over the result
The official deadline for the announcement of the election results ( according to the constitution no later than 72 hours after the polls closed ) passed without result.
On 2 December 2010, the election commission announced preliminary results for the runoff, which Ouattara was the winner. He had received 54 % of the vote with a voter turnout of over 81%. In contrast, the Constitutional Council declared the preliminary result of the election commission to be invalid, because the result was not announced on time. In addition, the Constitutional Council an audit of election complaints announced after Gbagbo's party had sought a cancellation of the election results in three constituencies of the North. These are the regions Savanes, Denguelé and Worodougou. Confusion caused by the fact that Youssouf Bakayoko, president of the electoral commission, the result announced in the hotel where Ouattara has moved its base and is backed by UN troops that are in turn blocked by the Ivorian military.
A day later, on December 3, 2010, finally declared the incumbent Gbagbo Constitutional Council with 51.45% and a turnout of 71.28 % to the winner. The Constitutional Council had the votes of seven constituencies, which represent about 13 % of the electorate declared invalid.
On the same day the special envoy of the UN and head of the Ivorian UN Mission UNOCI, Young-Jin Choi announced the result of the certification of the election. According to his studies, the runoff election was held in a "democratic atmosphere " instead, the cancellation of votes from the northern regions by the Constitutional Council is not based on facts and UNOCI should not follow the ruling of the Constitutional Council, as the Ivorian government 's mandate Young-Jin Choi have accepted as a certifier of choice. Even if all election complaints Gbagbo were taken into account, this did not change the outcome of the election.
The Constitutional Council is considered to be loyal to the government, since its members but is solely appointed by the President of the Republic and the President of Parliament, Chairman of the President. The current Chairman of the Council, Paul Yao N'Dré, founded together with Laurent Gbagbo and his wife Simone Gbagbo, the Ivorian Popular Front Ehivet ( FPI), which all three belong. He is regarded as one of the confidants Gbagbo.
The Independent Electoral Commission (Commission électorale Indépendante CEI) is independently assessed by some political observers as not really, since it is dominated by supporters of the opposition. Gbagbo had the CEI resolved until the spring of 2010 with Youssouf Bakayoko ( PDCI party board member and former diplomat at the Permanent Representations of the United Nations ) newly appointed because he had accused the organization under the direction of Robert Mambe, 430,000 people from the tendency Ouattara to have received supportive north falsely in the dial directory.
Laurent Gbagbo could be sworn in despite the dispute over the result of 4 December 2010 for a second term. A few hours later also performed Alassane Ouattara sworn in as president from. The same day, Prime Minister Guillaume Soro handed in his resignation and declared his support for Ouattara.
International reactions
The decision of the Constitutional Council has been criticized internationally. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon urged Gbagbo to his defeat. The African Union said he was " deeply concerned" about the development in the country. Even on Friday, 3 December congratulate Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Ouattara on his victory and said that they view him as a victor and called for Gbagbo to recognize the result of the election commission. The European Union and other countries joined in this position.
In particular, statements by the French head of state to be critically taken up mainly by supporters of Gbagbo since 1990 Sarkozy dared as the then mayor of Neuilly Dominique Novion and Alassane Ouattara in the Paris suburb and was their guest of honor ceremony. Daughters of companies Bouygues and Bolloré, the largest companies in the Ivory Coast, at the same time entertain the bosses Martin Bouygues and Vincent Bolloré good personal relations with the French president. Under Ouattara, who in 1990 became prime minister, the railways were privatized water and electricity supplies and purchased by the French groups. This groups is attributed to a contribution to the destabilization of the Ivory Coast.
On 8 December, the UN Security Council called on all parties to recognize the announced by the Electoral Commission election results.