The military ruler, Gen. Robert Guei, declared himself winner of Sunday's presidential election today, dissolving the electoral commission that had shown him trailing his main opponent and dashing hopes that the vote would reverse this West African country's yearlong slide into political instability.
The announcement set off immediate and widespread protests here and in several other cities. On Monday, after preliminary results indicated that the main opposition leader, Laurent Gbagbo, had an 11-point lead, soldiers invaded the offices of the National Electoral Commission and halted the vote-counting. Mr. Gbagbo reacted furiously to the announcement, which had been read out by a mid-ranking electoral official at a hastily called news conference at the Interior Ministry. Declaring himself the country's rightful new president, Mr. Gbagbo called on his supporters "to stand up against the impostor." His party said later that two people were killed in a confrontation with soldiers.
Thousands took to the streets late this afternoon, marching through several of the city's working-class neighborhoods, setting up roadblocks and burning tires. Gunfire punctuated chants of "Guei, thief!" Soldiers fired shots in the air and tear gas at protesters who had approached the national radio building. Thousands more moved toward the two bridges leading to downtown Abidjan and the presidential palace. But the security forces, who appeared to remain loyal to General Guei, blocked their advance. "Enough is enough," said Juliette Adjoua Koffi, a woman who had joined marchers in the neighborhood of Port Bouet. "I have never participated in a demonstration before. I'm sick over this. It's a masquerade, a fraud. Guei has to leave power. If he doesn't leave, it's war."
A man in the crowd expressed anger that the military government had annulled an election that many ordinary Ivoirians had supported through small donations, after Western countries had cut off support, to protest what they said would be an unfair vote. "All of us gave what we could because we believed in democracy," he said. "But now we see that this transition will never end. We've been waiting and waiting."
The center of Abidjan was quiet tonight after the government declared a state of emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew throughout the country. Earlier in the day, before the announcement, the military had placed tanks at critical spots in downtown Abidjan. As the electoral commission kept an ominous silence, shops closed early, schoolchildren went home, and Air France canceled its daily flight here from Paris.
Today's announcement drew strong condemnation the European Union, including France, the former colonial power, and the United States. "We call on the military junta to respect the will of the Ivoirian people," said Philip Reeker, the State Department spokesman. "General Guei cannot legitimize his rule through a military coup, followed by an illegitimate election."
Earlier this month, the European Union and Washington had said they would not endorse the election after a court controlled by General Guei eliminated the candidates of the two major parties. But privately, foreign diplomats had said that a victory by Mr. Gbagbo would have helped the Ivory Coast re-establish ties with the West and international donors.
Today's turn of events cast a shadow on this region of Africa, where the Ivory Coast had long been an anchor of stability and one of the few African nations not to have experienced a coup until last December. It was in a Dec. 24 putsch that General Guei toppled the unpopular civilian government of President Henri Konan Bedie. The general claimed not to be interested in long-term power, but he sidelined his political and military rivals in recent months and eventually declared his intention to run as president. Last Friday, General Guei promised on national television that he would respect the election's results. But clearly he did not like what he saw on Monday morning, the day after what was widely considered a well-organized and fair vote.
With 8 percent of the ballots counted, the electoral commission had Mr. Gbagbo ahead with 11 percentage points. Mr. Gbagbo's own numbers, based on tallies given to each party representative at the voting booths, gave the politician an overwhelming lead. Today, the military government accused the commission of incompetence and said that "massive fraud organized by certain political parties" had been committed.
The commission's president, Honore Guie, was taken away in a sport-utility vehicle by soldiers. Shortly afterward, at the Interior Ministry, a mid-ranking electoral official, Daniel Bamba Cheik, said that the commission had been dissolved. He said that it had counted the ballots in "confusion" and that its conclusions were worthless. Mr. Cheik announced the junta's election results, which gave the general 53 percent of the votes, compared with 48 percent for Mr. Gbagbo. A couple of hours later, General Guei gave a short speech declaring himself the new president.
Complimenting Ivoirians for their "maturity and solidarity," General Guei said: "You have fulfilled your civic duty, the results of which have made this humble person the first president of the second Republic."
Source: New York Times
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