Gbagbo's party to boycott elections
2013-03-22 22:10
Abidjan - The party of Ivory Coast's former president
Laurent Gbagbo will boycott elections in April after accusing the government of
fixing the date for the polls without proper consultation, party officials
said.
Gbagbo is awaiting trial before the International
Criminal Court (ICC) accused of crimes against humanity committed during a 2011
civil war sparked by his refusal to accept the presidential election victory of
rival Alassane Ouattara.
Gbagbo won 46% of votes in the 2010 runoff that sparked
the brief armed conflict and still has many supporters in the world's largest
cocoa producer.
Analysts said the boycott was a setback to attempts to
draw Gbagbo's supporters back into the political process, potentially
increasing the chance of instability and violence.
The government accuses pro-Gbagbo hardliners of launching
armed raids on security installations and essential infrastructure in Ivory
Coast.
"We've been in negotiations with the government on a
number of points, principally the elections. But while these talks were
underway, the government unilaterally set this date," the FPI's acting president
Sylvain Miaka Ouretto said late on Thursday.
"These elections on 21 April do not concern
us," he said.
Party members who register as candidates, campaign for
others or vote in the local and regional polls would face disciplinary action,
according to a statement seen by Reuters on Friday.
The FPI boycotted parliamentary elections in late 2011.
Gunmen have carried out more than two dozen attacks since
August, mainly in the commercial capital Abidjan and along the western border
with Liberia.
United Nations investigators last year accused
high-ranking members of the Gbagbo regime now living in exile of orchestrating
the violence.
Ouattara's government has said some active duty members
of the security forces have been involved in the violence.
Human rights campaigners claim the Ivorian authorities
have committed widespread abuses including arbitrary arrest and torture against
suspected Gbagbo supporters during the wave of arrests that followed the
attacks.
