Ivorians go to the polls in presidential elections

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Nairobi/Abidjan - Voting was under way in the first presidential election in the Ivory Coast in over a decade Sunday, five years after incumbent Laurent Gbagbo's term officially expired.

The decision of the West African country's 6 million eligible voters is expected to pave the way for an end to the de facto division of the country during civil war in 2002-2003.

Gbagbo and 13 other candidates are vying for the presidency. His main rivals include former president Henri Konan Bedie and former prime minister Alassane Ouattara. Bedie, who was ousted in a military coup in 1999, is trying to make a comeback. Quattara, having weathered accusations that he is a foreigner, is running for the first time.

The election in the world's largest cocoa producer, was postponed several times over several years because of problems with the registration of voters and ethnic tensions. Critics accuse Gbagbo of having "stolen" a third term.

Former rebels have been represented in the government of national unity since 2007. The north of the country is controlled by the rebels, while Gbagbo effectively controls the south. Around 500 additional United Nations peacekeepers have been deployed during the election.