Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo declared his candidacy in thecountry's long-delayed presidential elections, now scheduled forNovember.
Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo's remarks were met withthunderous applause, as he filed his candidacy for the country'spresidential elections, now scheduled for November 29.
Mr.Gbagbo says he is the candidate for Ivory Coast. He says he is thecandidate for the men and women of Ivory Coast. He says he is thecandidate to continue the fight they began and to continue the fighttheir parents and grandparents began in the 1940s, a fight Mr. Gbagbosays some have abandoned. He says he is the candidate for Ivory Coastand the fight is moving forward.
The presidential poll, whichhas been postponed several times since 2005, is an attempt to find alasting political solution to nearly a decade of internal conflict inthe once stable West African nation.
Mr. Gbagbo said this election will take place not just to choose a president but also to usher in a new era for Ivory Coast.
Thoughelected to his first five-year term in 2000, President Gbagbo has ledIvory Coast for nine years through a failed coup attempt, a civil warand the country's tortuous reunification process.
Civil war cutthe nation in half in 2002, after rebels attempting to overthrowPresident Gbagbo took control of the northern part of the country.Thousands were killed in the conflict, and the country, though now atpeace, remains tense and fractured. The country has since misseddeadlines for presidential elections set by the peace accords of 2007and late 2008 which created a transitional, power-sharing government.Mr. Gbagbo remained president, while rebel leader Guillaume Soro tookthe role of prime minister.
President Gbagbo's mandate ran outin October 2005, and members of the opposition have accused him ofstalling the presidential election to stay in power.
In speechesthis fall, Mr. Gbagbo has insisted that there are no longer anypolitical obstacles to the elections, which he has said must take placein 2009. Government officials and international observers have blamedtechnical problems related to voter identification and registration forrecent delays. Anti-immigrant sentiment and issues of nationality,particularly who can run and vote in elections, were at the heart ofthe conflict and remain sensitive.
Last week's publication ofthe provisional voter list after a two-month delay was an importantmilestone as the country struggles to make the November 29 poll date.Yet, just six weeks before the poll, the list of more than 6.3 millionnames has yet to be posted in the the country's 11,000 pollingstations. The list must be agreed upon by voters and political partiesbefore ballots can be printed.
Saturday was the deadline forcandidates to register for the race, and Mr. Gbagbo's name brings thelist of presidential hopefuls to 20. He is the candidate for acoalition of a dozen political parties that call themselves thePresidential Majority and is seen as a frontrunner in the race. Hisprimary challengers will be former Ivorian president Henri Konan Bedieand former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara.
Members of theopposition continue to insist that the presidential elections takeplace as planned on November 29, but observers fear there is still toomuch work to be done and scrambling to make the deadline could resultin a flawed poll.