Gbagbo vows to stay on

2005-10-31 09:44

Abidjan - Ivory Coast's president vowed to stay in power for another year, as security forces fired into the air and hurled tear gas at opposition militants protesting a bitterly disputed, United Nations-backed extension of his mandate.

Laurent Gbagbo also said on Sunday he would name a new prime minister within days to ensure presidential elections are held within 12 months. On Sunday, the rebels proclaimed their leader Guillaume Soro as the new premier, although they have no legal authority to do so.

The move, sure to increase tensions in the West African country, underscored the profound differences between the two sides.

A presidential ballot, initially slated for Sunday, was cancelled last month with rebel and government forces blaming each other for failing to disarm first.

"I ask those who are afraid of peace to take courage, don't be afraid of the future," said Gbagbo on Sunday.

Ivory Coast not ready for election

Gbagbo won elections in 2000, but rebels who launched a failed coup d'etat two years later seized the northern half of the world's top cocoa producer and have held it ever since.

Both sides agree the country was not ready to hold the presidential vote. But rebels and opposition supporters reject Gbagbo's claim that the constitution allows him to stay in power until a ballot is held.

In a bid to head off the crisis, the UN security council and the 53-nation African Union (AU) have issued resolutions backing an extension of Gbagbo's mandate for one year and calling for the appointment of a new prime minister to make sure the postponed ballot is held.

Gbagbo said "The president of the republic will stay at the head of it until an election for the presidency takes place."

Calls for Gbagbo to step down

The rebels declared Gbagbo's mandate over and saying they would no longer recognise him as head of state. The rebels said Soro would set up a "government of national reconciliation" but did not say how.

Gbagbo's opponents, including half a dozen cabinet ministers, say they won't recognise his authority after Sunday. They also claim he no longer has the right to command the army, which has remained loyal so far despite rumours of a possible coup by disgruntled officers.

On Sunday, thousands of opposition militants weathered a blistering sun to attend a soccer stadium rally in which speaker after speaker called on Gbagbo to step down.

"Gbagbo is no longer president," said Adama Karamoko, an opposition official. "We don't want him anymore. What has he done for five years but ruin our country?"

Despite fears major violence could erupt on Sunday, most of Abidjan remained calm.

Violent protests

Outside the stadium, though, an angry crowd bludgeoned a man in civilian clothes they claimed was an undercover intelligence officer. In a neighbourhood near the airport, attackers swinging machetes and clubs smashed windows of a bus carrying opposition supporters on their way to the stadium, slashing the arm of one passenger, said Ali Sadia, who was on the bus.

As the rally drew down, crowds spilled out into a nearby six-lane highway, turning back vehicles at roadblocks made from overturned tables, burning tires and debris that sent small columns of acrid black smoke into the sky.

Elsewhere in the lagoon-side city, troops patrolled in jeeps and trucks mounted with heavy machine-gun turrets. Republican guard units could be seen along roadsides in armoured personnel carriers, and troops blocked roads and a roundabout in the city centre leading to the presidential palace.

Similar opposition protests were held on Sunday in the rebel-held northern cities of Bouake and Korhogo.

Echoing past, unfulfilled threats, rebel spokesperson Sidiki Konate said in Bouake rebels "will fulfil their responsibilities tonight at midnight". He didn't elaborate.

- AP