Anger at Ivorian Election Delay
- 14 years ago
Stone-strewed streets hint of the political tensions mounting in the Ivory Coast.
Demonstrations have erupted almost daily across the west African country since President Laurent Gbagbo dissolved the government and the electoral commission a week ago.
Here in the central city of Bouake people say they are tired of waiting for elections that are promised but are never held.
[Unidentified Protester]:
"We are tired of this, we have no electricity, we have water and food shortages, no work. We're all there waiting and we have nowhere to work, companies close down, we don't have proper ID papers. They say we're going to have elections and we have no elections, we don't understand anything
anymore."
Elections have been repeatedly postponed since 2005.
They had been scheduled for the end of this month or early next.
But they've been postponed yet again after a row over voter registration.
The protests turned bloody on Friday after security forces opened fire on demonstrators in the south western town Gagnoa.
Undeterred, opposition supporters were out again on Saturday.
This was the scene shortly after police cleared the streets with tear gas.
Once one of Africa's brightest economic stars, a brief civil war followed by years of political instability and stalemate have left the world's number two cocoa grower mired in poverty and despair.
Demonstrations have erupted almost daily across the west African country since President Laurent Gbagbo dissolved the government and the electoral commission a week ago.
Here in the central city of Bouake people say they are tired of waiting for elections that are promised but are never held.
[Unidentified Protester]:
"We are tired of this, we have no electricity, we have water and food shortages, no work. We're all there waiting and we have nowhere to work, companies close down, we don't have proper ID papers. They say we're going to have elections and we have no elections, we don't understand anything
anymore."
Elections have been repeatedly postponed since 2005.
They had been scheduled for the end of this month or early next.
But they've been postponed yet again after a row over voter registration.
The protests turned bloody on Friday after security forces opened fire on demonstrators in the south western town Gagnoa.
Undeterred, opposition supporters were out again on Saturday.
This was the scene shortly after police cleared the streets with tear gas.
Once one of Africa's brightest economic stars, a brief civil war followed by years of political instability and stalemate have left the world's number two cocoa grower mired in poverty and despair.