Pressure on Ivory Coast president

International pressure has mounted on Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo to accept defeat following the country’s disputed election, a day after the constitutional council led by one of his allies overturned results deemed credible by independent observers.

Both US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy released statements acknowledging the victory of opposition leader Alassane Ouattara and asking Mr Gbagbo to step aside.

“The international community will hold those who act to thwart the democratic process and the will of the electorate accountable for their actions,” Mr Obama warned.

Ivory Coast’s presidential election was meant to restore stability after a civil war erupted in 2002, destroying the economy of one of the most affluent countries in Africa. Instead, the election is casting a growing shadow as it becomes increasingly clear that Mr Gbagbo is unwilling to step down.

His five-year mandate expired in 2005 and the country’s first election in a decade was delayed multiple times. Mr Gbagbo claimed first that the West African country was too volatile and that security could not be assured. He later cited technicalities like the composition of the voter roll.

The election went ahead in October but ended up in a run-off, and the country’s election commission announced on Thursday that Mr Ouattara had won. However, new results released on national television by a Gbagbo loyalist said the incumbent president had in fact been re-elected.

The new figures put Mr Gbagbo on top with more than 51% of the vote by chucking out some 500,000 ballots from Ouattara strongholds, representing almost a 10th of all the ballots cast.

Those results were broadcast in a continuous loop on TV and on radio stations throughout the country. The figures were immediately rejected by the United Nations, which is responsible for certifying the final results and which held a news conference to reiterate that Mr Ouattara had won.

As soon as the constitutional council declared Mr Gbagbo the victor, angry youths took to the streets, burning tyres, and pulling down kiosks and billboards.

The country’s constitution gives the council the final word on the outcome of the vote, but a 2007 peace deal signed by Mr Gbagbo said the United Nations would also need to certify the results.