Turbulent times looms in Ivory Coast as two Presidents might emerge following disputed elections in the former French colony.
Although the US, UN and France say the election was Gbagbo’s rival - opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara won last Sunday’s run-off polls, President Laurent Gbagbo was on Saturday sworn in for a new term. Mr Ouattara is also planning to hold his own swearing-in ceremony.

Quattara was declared the winner by the nation’s electoral body, but the victory was overturned by the Constitutional Council in favour of President Gbagbo. The presidential run-off was intended to reunify the world’s largest cocoa producer after a civil war in 2002, but could now leave the nation with two rival presidents.

At least four people have been killed in election-related clashes in Abidjan.
On the streets, opposition supporters are protesting against Mr Gbagbo’s investiture, saying it amounts to a ‘coup d’etat’. But Gbagbo’s supporters insist the UN does not have the right to say who won the elections and have threatened to expel the head of the UN mission in the country.

There are fears that the country could be plunged back into violence Mr Gbagbo took the oath to loud cheers from a number of his supporters at the presidential palace. During his inauguration, he said “In recent days I have noted serious cases of interference, I am charged with defending our sovereignty and I will not negotiate on that. I have never called on someone from outside to put me in office,”

Meanwhile, Ouattara is planning to hold a rival swearing-in ceremony at an Abidjan hotel guarded by UN peacekeepers. Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Guillaume Soro tendered his resignation, saying he backed Ouattara victory. Mr Soro has warned that overturning the results threatens to derail attempts to stabilise and reunify the country after the war. On Thursday, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) declared that Mr Ouattara had won the 28 November run-off by 54.1% to 45.9%.

But after Mr Gbagbo and his supporters alleged the ballot had been fraudulent in some northern region, the Constitutional Council overruled the IEC . The council said Mr Gbagbo had secured just over 51% of the vote. World leader like US President, Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, President Goodluck Jonathan and the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon all accorded recognition to Quattara as the new President of Ivory Coast.

Obama has rejected the Constitutional Council’s decision. “The Independent Electoral Commission, credible and accredited observers and the United Nations have all confirmed this result and attested to its credibility,” he said.

He congratulated Ouattara and warned that the international community would “hold those who act to thwart the democratic process and the will of the electorate accountable for their actions”. President Sarkozy also told Mr Gbagbo to “respect the will of the people, abstain from any action that might provoke violence” and to help establish peace. Ki-moon had earlier called on Mr Gbagbo “to do his part for the good of the country and to co-operate in a smooth political transition”.

President Goodluck Jonathan, the current chairman of regional bloc ECOWAS , said all parties should “respect and fully implement the verdict of the Ivorian people as declared by the Independent Electoral Commission”. The head of the UN mission in Ivory Coast also said it regarded Mr Ouattara as the winner, while the African Union said it was “deeply concerned” by the developments.

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, said the IMF would only work with an Ivory Coast government recognised by the UN. Mr Ouattara told reporters on Friday evening: “I am the elected president of the Republic of Ivory Coast. The Constitutional Council has abused its authority, the whole world knows it, and I am sorry for my country’s image.”