Ivory Coast faces crisis over election reversal

The new figures, which put Gbagbo on top with over 51 percent of the vote, were broadcast in a continuous loop on TV and on radio stations throughout the country, even though the results were immediately rejected by the United Nations, which is responsible for certifying the final results and which held a press conference to reiterate that Ouattara had won.

The comments by the top UN official in the country, Young-Jin Choi, as well as those by Ouattara, who proclaimed himself a winner at a press conference, were not broadcast locally. They were only carried on foreign channels that citizens could only access if they have satellite TV. Text messaging was also cut off, making it still more difficult for Ivorians to get a complete picture of events.

As soon as Gbabgo was declared the victor on national television, angry youths took to the streets, burning tires and pulling down kiosks and billboards. The 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 now casting a growing shadow as it becomes increasingly clear that Gbagbo is unwilling to step aside.

The head of the constitutional council Paul Yao N’Dre said on state TV that the council was invalidating results from seven of the nation’s 19 voting regions because of evidence that pro-Gbagbo voters were intimidated by mobs. The new figures put Gbagbo on top by chucking out some 500,000 ballots from Ouattara strongholds, representing almost a tenth of all the ballots cast. He also said the election commission had lost its authority to proclaim results because they had missed a Wednesday deadline to announce the figures.

The country’s constitution gives the council the final word on the outcome of the vote, but a 2007 peace deal signed by Gbagbo said the United Nations would also need to certify the results. Choi made clear that the UN was standing by the earlier results putting Ouattara ahead.

“The results of the second round of the presidential election as they were proclaimed by the president of the Independent Electoral Commission do not change. This confirms Alassane Ouattara as winner of the second round,’’ Choi said at a press conference attended by numerous reporters but not broadcast on local TV.

In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared his support for Young-Jin Choi’s certification of Ouattara as the winner and sent his congratulations to the new president, according to his spokesman Martin Nesirky.

The 68-year-old Ouattara, a studious former economist for the International Monetary Fund, held his own press conference a short while later.

“This declaration is a declaration being made by the president of Ivory Coast,’’ he said.