- Title: IVORY COAST: Constitutional Court swears in Alassane Ouattara as President
- Date: 7th May 2011
- Summary: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (MAY 06, 2011) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) VARIOUS OF IVORIAN PRESIDENT ALASSANE OUATTARA ARRIVING TO CEREMONY HALL, GREETING OFFICIALS VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS, AND OUATTARA'S WIFE DOMINQUE FOLLOROUX- QUATTARA (BLONDE HAIR) VARIOUS OF OUATTARA SWEARING IN (SOUNDBITE) (French) IVORIAN PRESIDENT ALASSANE OUATTARA, SAYING : ''In the eyes of the sovereign people of Ivory Coast, I solemnly swear'' VARIOUS OF OUATTARA AND WIFE GREETED IVORY COAST FLAG IVORIAN SOLDIERS
- Embargoed: 22nd May 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Cote d'Ivoire
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVACUSNT6F41C7P56QIBL2XHBVRB
- Story Text: Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara finally made it into the presidential palace on Friday (May 6) to be sworn in by the Counstitutional Council who had originally questioned the electoral results of the November 2010 elections - sparking a bloody conflict between forces loyal to Ouattara on one side and the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo on the other.
More than a million people were displaced in the battle which eventually ended with the arrest of Gbagbo last month by Ouattara's forces and after French and UN forces intervened to end the war.
The presidential palace itself was the scene of some of the worst fighting.
Ouattara's simple swearing in ceremony will be followed by a more lavish inauguration in the coming weeks.
''In the eyes of the sovereign people of Ivory Coast, I solemnly swear,'' said Ouattara.
Friday's ceremony was conducted by an ally of Gbagbo, Constitutional Council President Paul Yao N'Dre.
N'Dre was a close Gbagbo ally and had sworn in the incumbent leader in late November after rejecting the U.N.-certified results showing Ouattara had won.
He has retained his post at the top of the country's highest legal body despite Gbagbo's eventual defeat. In a speech for Ivorians he called for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Gbagbo remains in captivity in the pro-Ouattara north awaiting trial for alleged crimes during the turmoil. last week he called for his supporters to put aside their political squabbles and help restore the economy.
A spokesman for the Ivorian military said on Thursday Ivorian troops had captured a naval base in Abidjan from remnants of a militia loyal to Gbagbo, leaving them with no base from which to launch attacks.
But many are still at large in the main commercial city.
Dozens of people have died in clashes in the past few days, highlighting the problems that Ouattara faces in restoring security after a bitter civil war.
Banks have re-opened, traffic is returning to normal and the world's top cocoa grower is expected to resume on Friday exports of cocoa beans that were halted by the conflict.
United Nations mission spokesman Hamadoun Toure told a news conference on Thursday that its peacekeeping forces were carrying out mixed patrols with Ouattara's forces to boost security and defuse unexploded bombs left over from the conflict.
Switzerland said it had frozen 70 million Swiss francs (81.45 million US dollars) linked to Gbagbo and associates. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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