There are many misconceptions about what actually happened during the attempt at practicing democracy in the great nation of Cote d'Ivoire. The dispute of who was voted to be the next president has caused much misinformation to be written in well known periodicals who take the word of officials who have been given a mandate to assure that the will of the Ivorian people NOT be respected but the needs of western interests be honored.

Alassane Dramane Ouattara did not win the November 28th, 2010 election regardless of his party's use of terrorist tactics against the Ivorian people's attempt to have free and fair elections. As you read this essay what will be revealed to you are the facts of what actually happened on the ground in Cote
D'Ivoire before and during they day of election.


The area where the vote count was suspect is the northern part of Cote D'Ivoire. The Forces Nouvelles has heavy influence in this section of the country. The democratic process was stained by violence to the point whereas Coordination of the Observers from the International Mission of the African Civil  Society  (COMISCA),The African Civil Society for democracy and Electoral Assistance (OSCADAE), African Union (AU) and The Emissaries for the promotion of credible Elections in Africa (CEPECA) questioned the veracity of the ballots ?cast? in that part of the country.


It is documented that the Rassemblement des Republicaines (RDR) activists enacted rape, murder, beatings, intimidation, threats of violence, kidnapping, vandalism, false imprisonment, destruction of property, armed robbery, ballot box stuffing, refusal of entry of LMP representatives to the voting area, detained LMP representatives, electioneering for the RDR presidential candidate in the polling stations, RDR activists actually filled out the ballot for the voter to assure that their candidate is on that ballot and forced LMP representatives detained to certify the "results".

 

Mr. Ouattara claimed in a recent article on the United States State department website that he believes in democratic principles. Now this may be a personal belief of his yet it seems that the members of his party and its armed wing didn't get that memo.


Let's delve into more detail on what happened the day before the election and what happened during the election. On Saturday November 27, 2010 LMP representatives were forbidden to enter the city of Korhogo by the Forces Nouvelles. The Forces Nouvelles forcefully evicted LMP representatives and stripped them of their goods and documents. Thus polling wasn't overseen in the city of Korohogo to assure transparency as stated by Ivorian law. Voters where told to vote for Mr. Ouattara or suffer bodily harm and even death by the Forces Nouvelles. These actions hardly subscribe to the proclamations of a man who claims that he is for creating a democratic and peaceful state.
These acts were being carried out in the Korhogo District, Bouake District and the town of Bouake Koko.


The following are some of the stations affected by Forces Nouvelles terrorism:
The EPP Dar Es Salam 2
The EPP CNPS
Lycee moderne 2
The Djezou Rails groupe scolaire
Yamousso Marie Therese High School
Groupe scolaire Aboliba 4BV
Foyer des jeunes de Koko 4BV
EPP Dar Es Salam 2 a 6 6BV
Modern Lyceum 2-5BV
Groupe scolaire CNPS 4BV
EPP Dar Es Salam 1-6BV
EPP Djezou Kouamekro 1
Berger Kindergarten
Allokro-Yaokro
EPP Kotiakoffikro
EPP Kanontakpe
Saint Jacques School
EPP Dogouba
EPP Liberte
Groupe scolaire Bakassa
Groupe scolaire Paris Bouake
Groupe scolaire Annexe
Groupe scolaire Olienon
EPV protestant
Mohamed 5 Modern Lyceum
Groupe scolaire Belleville
Belleville Modern Lyceum
College moderne jeunes filles
EPP Military camp
Groupe scolaire Belleville Nord


LMP campaign headquarters were attacked by Forces Nouvelles the day before the polls were opened.

In the Savana, Denguele, Bafing, Worodougou regions and Bandama Valley Forces Nouvelles were traveling by motorcycle making wholesale threats promising to kill anyone who would vote for Mr. Laurent Gbagbo.


COMISCA, made up of twenty-one NGOs, stated “...that the ballot credibility in the above mentionedareas is strongly marred.” AU noted “...serious acts of violence, namely losses of human lives,infringement of physical integrity, intimidations, and abductions attempts and damage to the electoralmaterial. So many facts that should be object to a careful assessment from the competent institutions,so as to determine their impact on the ballots.” OSCADAE reported, “...the credibility of the pollingwas strongly called into question in some of the above mentioned places.” Those places beingKorhogo, Touba, Bouake, Mankono, Seguela, Odienne, Tingrela, and Maddinani. CEPECA witnessed,“...activists and representatives of candidate Laurent Gbagbo were prevented from voting freely andsupervising the voting process, ex-rebels took some ballots boxes to unknown places, there wasstuffing of ballots boxes on a large scale, ...some voting section agents gave orders favoring the RDR candidate...”

 

“Considering the above mentioned facts the freedom and the transparency of the voting process inthose regions are strongly called into question....the credibility of the ballots in the Savannah regionsmost of all in Korhogo as badly tarnished.”


According to agreement the Forces Nouvelles were suppose to disarm before the elections.

We now see why they were reluctant to give up their weapons. Words alone do not show an organization's intentions one must also judge them by their practice.


When all the votes were gathered the sitting President Laurent Gbagbo presented to the Electoral Independent Committee (EIC) a complaint informing the EIC of these irregularities and requested that those votes which came from the zones controlled by Forces Nouvelles be invalidated; a reasonable
request.


After reviewing the complaint and the information of the irregularities by independent observers the EIC became deadlocked on the complaint thus they didn't announce the ?provisional results? of the elections which is within Ivorian law. The final and certified conclusion can only be given by The
Constitutional Council (CC) according to the Ivorian Constitution. The Ivorian Constitution states that the CC proclamation in respect to the electoral results are final and without recourse. No provisional election results were announced by the EIC within the three day legally given time for such to be done.


Now it was up to the CC to decide by legal mandate as prescribed by the Ivorian Constitution. In the mean time Mr.Youssouf Bakayoko was persuaded to carry out an illegal act which controverted the Ivorian Constitution by naming Mr. Ouattara the ?winner? of the election. He was not alone in this
action. It seems that the US Ambassador Phillip Carter III, French Ambassador Jean-Marc-Simon and Y.J. Choi UN Envoy conspired to bring Mr.Youssouf Bakayoko to the Golf Hotel where Mr. Ouattara was illegally announced the winner of the election. These ?results? were certified by the UN Envoy Y.J. Choi then Mr. Ouattara was installed in the eyes of the US, France, Britain, Canada and others.


While this charade was being enacted. President Elect Laurent Gbagbo was installed as per the Ivorian Constitution. This act has caused the West to portray their illegal activity as a crisis.
The rest of the world is waiting to see how the Ivorian people are acting in this crises situation.

 

As usual the threat of violence is being vented towards the Ivorian people. What Western interests may or may not understand is that this isn't just an Ivorian issue it is a global issue. When does the UN, and its backers, become the king maker to the extent were it subverts the sovereignty of a nation and imposes its chosen one against the will of the people.

 

When does the UN side with those who make a charade of the democratic process when it is obvious that the elections were rigged through the use of terrorism by those who do not have the interest of the Ivorian people at hand and is only looking for self enrichment by siding with past colonial masters who act like vampires sucking the life force by getting the natural resources at dirt cheap pricing to maintain economic poverty as the word and act of the day.

 

These negative forces have been sowing the practice of political instability on the continent of Africa for the past five hundred years by creating antagonisms between North and South, Muslims against Christians, one ethnic group against another.


It seems as if the Ivorian people have awakened to the sleight of hand that the West and its compradores have played and they refuse to have their nation sold once again on the auction block to continue the hegemonic relationship. Instead they have chosen to create their own path to assure their independence and development without the permission of past and present exploiters and oppressors.


Africa is listening and watching and so is the rest of the world.


By Bob Doughtie
Consultant
African Human Rights

 


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