The exercise was pregnant with expectation, given the background to what promised to be a prelude to peace and democracy in the Ivory Coast. The West African region, like elsewhere on the continent, has had its political challenges in which proxies were propped up by superpowers as the Cold War threatened to break out in unprecedented conflagrations. For much of Africa, the "winds of change" were caught up in this maelstrom in which authoritarian regimes held sway. However, despite its challenges, modern-day Africa has been making commendable efforts to establish democratic rule across the continent. It has not been easy as heroes of the struggle for independence, who should have been the guardians of 'the revolution', stood in the way of democracy. In Zimbabwe, many were terrorised and killed for the 'mistake' of clamouring for free and fair elections and then making their choice. The efforts of progressive organisations to forestall violence have - almost invariably - led to negotiations and governments of national unity (GNU) in which the losers call the shots.
The Kenyan example where the incumbent used violence as a bargaining chip and to cling to power has become the template. The example was followed to varying degrees of degeneration by Zimbabwe, then the Cape Verde, Guinea, Madagascar, Niger and now the bloodcurdling circus in the Ivory Coast where Laurent Gbagbo will not move over and let Alassane Ouattara lead the country in the way of civilised nations. In the latest African horror story, the two men have sworn rival oaths of office and named competing cabinets. Perfectly understandable, Ouattara has done this on the basis of the Electoral Commission that gave him 54 percent of the votes. However, the Constitutional Council soon annulled 10 percent of all ballots cast in order to give Gbagbo 51 percent and declare him winner! Very clearly, the sabre-rattling actions of the loser are based on the support Gbagbo enjoys from senior military officers who control the southern regions of the country. On the contrary, Ouattara is acting primarily on the basis of the legitimacy granted him by the ballot, though he also enjoys the backing of former rebels who still control much of the northern regions of the Ivory Coast. Perfectly understandable, Botswana has joined a growing list of nations and organisations around the world to express its support to Ouattara as the legitimate President of the Ivory Coast. Among these countries and organisations are the AU, the UN, ECOWAS, France, the UK, the US and now Botswana. As the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso has noted, the situation in the Ivory Coast is one that has been seen too many times in Africa. Far too many times, we might add. We trust that the AU mediator, Thabo Mbeki - who is known to be close to Gbagbo, - will have this in mind at all times. Whatever he does, he must steer clear of another GNU!
