Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Cote d’Ivoire

Most likely - the most delish invention ever since free, fair, transparent periodic elections is chocolate.

And when both hook up - look out mein shockolade shreken!

Ivory Coast's recent electile dysfunction is a significant reminder that democrazy has to be protected. Cats cannot be allowed to get all elected, dismantle free choice institutions and then extend their mandates by fiat, whims and desires (hey! Pres Abbas/Mazen - - talking to you too). 

After losing fair and square in the recent runoff election, Cote d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo - who has been in power since 2000 and is well on his way to becoming President For Life - mooching his overstayed mandate by five years when the long-delayed presidential election were finally held in October, with the runoff in November. 

This 'lection was to heal and rehookup a nation divy'd by 2002-2003 civil war into a rebel-controlled north and a loyalist south. 

'Cept Pres Ghagbo doesn't wanna turn over legit control to the winners - specifically to Pres Elect Alassane Ouattara.

"...African leaders must learn to accept defeat with equanimity and put national interest and continental prosperity above selfish quest for power. Africa must for once confirm to the world that we can get it right. The Cote d’Ivoire logjam must not be allowed to degenerate to war.

Intervention by the 15-nation regional bloc ECOWAS (a mix of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo) is mobilizing to intervene.

"It's not a bluff - The soldiers are coming much faster than anyone thinks."

ECOWAS has intervened in past electile chicanery - blitzing Sierra Leone in the last millennium (1998 for those that collect such intell) and forced military coup d'taters to split while restoring an elected president's to return to power. ECOWAS also intervened in Liberia in 1990 and hung out militarily for years, and has sent troops to Guinea-Bissau.

Pic - "War For Chocolate"


Raedwulf said...

I seem to remember France sending troops a few years back and it did not go well.