Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo was due to be sworn in yesterday after his election victory was rejected by world leaders but accepted by the army, raising fears of a power struggle.
The election commission said Alassane Ouattara had won last Sunday’s poll with 54.1 percent, but the top legal body, citing alleged intimidation, scrapped hundreds of thousands of votes on Friday and handed victory to Gbagbo.
Residents of the main city, Abidjan, reported gunfire in several districts overnight and in Port Bouet, near the airport, they heard heavy weapons but could not say who was involved. Unconfirmed reports said two people were killed.
Ivorian Prime Minister Guillaume Soro said yesterday he recognized opposition leader Ouattara as president and offered him his resignation.
“We recognize that Alassane Ouattara is the winner of this election,” Soro, a former rebel who heads the New Forces that control the north of the country, told a news conference, referring to the disputed presidential polls.
“I have asked to go and offer him the resignation of my government and my resignation as prime minister,” he added.
There were protests yesterday in several towns, including Abidjan, but none were on a large scale. The African Union said it would send former South African president Thabo Mbeki to try to seek a solution to the crisis.
World leaders, including US President Barack Obama, the UN and the West African regional body ECOWAS said Ouattara was the clear winner of a poll meant to heal wounds after a decade of division.
The opposition cried foul, pointing out that Paul Yao N’dre, president of the Constitutional Council which reversed the poll result, is a staunch Gbagbo ally.
Ouattara’s party has warned that denying him victory would risk throwing the country back into a north-south conflict.
Former rebels, who control the northern half of the country where the votes were canceled, also backed a Ouattara win, apparently scuppering any chance this election will bring peace and reunification.
Gbagbo’s camp has rejected outside pressure, threatening to throw the UN’s top envoy out of the country.
State television showed the head of Ivory Coast’s armed forces pledging allegiance to Gbagbo.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Ouattara’s win “incontestable.”
Such comments are likely to play into the hands of Gbagbo, a master at whipping up anti-French sentiment who has accused the former colonial ruler of backing Ouattara.
Demonstrators set up roadblocks and burned tires in Abidjan, but there were no mass protests. Before the poll, the military threatened to be “merciless” with anyone causing trouble.
In Bouake, the main city in the rebel-run north, hundreds took to the streets and tires were burned.
“We want [Ouattara] as president. We don’t want Gbagbo anymore. We are tired of him,” Samba Diakite said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source