Friday 3 December 2010

Cote d'Ivoire: Gbagbo, your time is up

A rotten leader

Mr Laurent Gbagbo is the albatross around Cote d’Ivoire’s neck and I am beginning to lose the dominant effects of my humour gene in this theatre of the absolutely absurd.

Having refused to hold elections for years the people spoke leading to a runoff between Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara who if my memory serves me well was once declared a non-national of his country in a similar contest some time ago.

Having now seen that the Electoral Commission will not do its bidding as the ruling party of Nigeria got it all sewn up for Nigerians in 2007; the borders were closed in what is usually the sign of a military coup in Africa.

The Electoral Commissioner duly performed his duty and said the Ivoriens have chosen Alassane Ouattara to be their leader to the hearing of the world but we only had to wait and see Mr Gbagbo’s next act.

It doesn’t add up

It came soon enough, it has just been announced that the Constitutional Council which apparently validates results has nullified all results in the 7 regions of the North that gave Mr Quattara a mandata with 54% and now Mr Gbagbo is leader with 51%.

It should not take a mathematical mind to compute that if where Mr Quattra is popular gives him 54% and eliminating that gives him 49%, then Mr Quattara is rather more popular in the whole of Cote d’Ivoire even without his stronghold than Mr Gbagbo who hangs on to power with the might of his stronghold and scrapes 51%.

African leader generalisation

Why can’t African leaders differentiate between a presidency and monarchy? Why can they not just do their time and move on for other countrymen to do their best for the country too?

Mr Gbagbo, your time is up, this travesty should not stand, and really, it is just laughable when you look at the figures and do these people really think we are idiots and that it the biggest problem with African leaders, arrogance and hubris with the belief that their incumbency is eternal.

Let us see how this unravels.

Source

BBC News - Ivory Coast poll overturned: Gbagbo declared winner

1 comment:

CodLiverOil said...

Sadly, political immaturity is very characteristic amongst the ruling elite (of Africa, who are supposed to be familiar with the ways of the modern world). It's not just Côte D'Ivoire, but throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria sadly is no exception, it remains to be seen whether the on-coming elections will prove to be any different.

Mr Ouattara is the winner it seems, if ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and AU (African Union) have any principles they will back him, but I would not count on it.

Regardless of what region, ethnic group or religion Ouattara is from he is a legitimate Ivorian and should be allowed to take the presidency. If people are so discontented with his performance they should vote him out at at the next polls.

With the exception of Zimbabwe it is only Southern Africa as a region in Africa that seems capable of holding elections.

Ghana stands out as one of the few in West Africa, but they are the exception.

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