Ivory Coast’s former ruling party has pulled out of the electoral commission, saying the new government refuses to include opponents in planning for coming parliamentary polls. Ivory Coast’s president says he hopes the former ruling party will take part in that vote.
Former President Laurent Gbagbo’s party says it is quitting the electoral commission because the government of President Alassane Ouattara is refusing to engage in a dialogue on security, the electoral commission, and preparations for legislative polls.
Ouattara won last year’s presidential vote. But Gbagbo refused to give up power, sparking a political crisis that killed at least 3,000 people and ultimately led to Gbagbo’s arrest in April. He is now awaiting trial on charges associated with that violence.
Gbagbo’s fall divided the Ivorian Popular Front between those determined to defend his legacy and those who felt it better to move on and accept President Ouattara’s offer to join a new government. The administration’s first big test of political reconciliation comes in legislative elections that are expected some time before December 15.
Gbagbo’s party has not yet announced whether it will take part in a vote that President Ouattara says is long overdue.
Full Article: Former Ivorian Ruling Party Quits Election Commission | West Africa | English.