Ivory Coast 'to delay poll'
2008-10-18 11:20
Abidjan - Ivory Coast's long-awaited
presidential election, which will cement peace between
President Laurent Gbagbo and rebels, is "technically
impossible" this year and will be held in 2009, an electoral
official said on Friday.
The vote in the world's No 1 cocoa producer, which had
already been delayed several times since 2005 by political
conflict and sporadic violence, was scheduled for November 30.
But an official at the Independent Electoral Commission
told Reuters that delays in the registration of voters,
including a strike by census officials working to identify
citizens, meant the poll could not be held on the date
planned.
"The presidential election cannot be held this year. It's
technically impossible when you look at the work to be done on
the ground to register all the voters," said the commission
official. He asked not to be named because the public
announcement of a postponement has not yet been made.
The vote is now expected to be held in the first quarter of
2009. There was no immediate comment from the government or
presidency.
The election will seal a March 2007 peace deal signed
between Gbagbo and northern rebels, who fought a 2002/2003
civil war in the West African state, where French and United
Nations peacekeepers are backing the election process.
Gbagbo is widely expected to stand for re-election.