|
 The
Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
is located in the Western African region and expands over a total
area of: 322,460 sq.km (land: 318,000 sq.km water: 4,460 sq. km)
Its population
numbers 15,818,068 (1999) 16,962,491 (July 2003 est.) Population (2008 est.):
21,624,000. With a population growth rate of 2.133% (2009
est.)
The
bordering countries are: in the East: the Republic of
Ghana over 668 km; in the Northeast the
Republic of Burkina Faso over 584; in
the Northwest the Republic of Mali over
532; in the West the Republics of Guinea
over 610 and Liberia over 716
It has a coastline of 515 km
alongside the Gulf of Guinea.
Independence from France on August
7, 1960
National
holiday:August
7
Natural
resources:petroleum,
diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper.
Agriculture
production:coffee,
cocoa beans (first world producer), bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc
(tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber.
Industrial
production:foodstuffs,
beverages; wood products, oil refining, automobile assembly, textiles, fertilizer,
construction materials, electricity.
Cote-d'Ivoire
is the the economic heavyweight
of West-Africa's French speaking countries.
Table below outlined (source)
Ivory Coast's contribution (in million FCFA) to
the economy in the West African Economic Union (UEMOA), which members' states
are: Benin, Niger, Burkina-Faso, Mali, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Togo.
| Contribution
to the UEMOA Economy |
| |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
| Ivory Coast |
1937,2 |
2080,9 |
2297,8 |
2836,5 |
2997,5 |
3127 |
| Others |
5979,8 |
6434,5 |
7170,8 |
8511,6 |
9327,2 |
9704,0 |
| % Ivory Coast |
32,4 |
32,34 |
32,0 |
33,33 |
32,14 |
32,22 |
The
economic performance
is based on agriculture development
- Ivory Coast is one of the
world's largest producer
and exporter of coffee, cocoa
beans, and palm oil that
assist he
country enjoying twenty five
years of sustained economic
growth from 1960 to 1985.
That lengthy period of economic
performance steadily
increased the country's per
capita GNP to up to US$ 1,200
(1999) against an average
of US$ 400 in surrounding
countries.
From
1986, the economy began to stagnate and nose dived to experiencing negative
growth. The 100% devaluation of Zone Franc's currency (F.CFA)
on January 12, 1994, triggered a reverse of the downward trend and boosted
the export of agricultural commodities: cocoa, coffee, pineapple, and
natural rubber.
The national budget then
garnered "huge" liquidity coming from the privatization of state's owned
enterprises, the liberalization of the banking system, the discoveries of offshore
oil and gas in addition to generous external financing and debt rescheduling granted
by bilateral and international institutions financing bodies.
Government compliance to
reforms requested by the IMF and the World Bank coupled with the impact of
the F.CFA's 100% devaluation boosted the economic growth rate to 6% annually
two years running - from 1996 to 1998.
However, from
mid 1999 the economy slid backwards again. That was the direct consequence of
the refusal by international aid donors to continue financing contribution - unless
the Ivorian government takes necessary measures to stamp out corruption and strictly
adhere to donor-mandated reforms.
From the same period the economic situation further deteriorated due
to the political tension arising from obstacles
set up by Bedie's regime to eliminate the main opposition leader - RDR's
Alassane Dramane Ouattara - from October 2000's presidential ballot.
On December 24, 1999 a bloodless "coup" cooled down the political
tension, ousting Bedie from power. However, it was just
a short term reprieve as the political situation did not clarified. Gueî,
the beneficiary of the coup, backed by southerner political leaders added
to the confusion: they adopted the "Ivoirité concept
- cooked by Bedie - which is in the center of the political crisis since
1996.
Feeling strangers in their own country, Northerners staged a rebellion on September 19, 2002
and succeeded capturing 60% of national territory.
- MEDIATIONS FAILED TO RECONCILE THE ANTAGONISTIC PARTIES
Since
September 19, 2002, several diplomatic meetings - Accra
I, Accra II, Accra III - Pretoria I and Pretoria II, etc.; had been
staged by the international community, to mending fences between the
antagonistic parties. They
all failed to do so. Then Gbagbo himself took the initiative to request
the mediation of Burkina Faso's Compaoré, which lead to the the so-called
Ouagadougou Agreement, translated
on October
21, 2005, into UN' Security
Council Resolution 1633 that could be summarized in four points:
1-
Laurent Gbagbo's mandate
as Ivory Coast's President ends
on October 30, 2005.
However, he should
stay as Head
of State for
another year.
2- He has to transfer some executive
powers to a new prime minister acceptable to
all Ivorian parties.
3- The ministers of
the new Reconcilement Government
(designated by the parties
which attended and signed
Linas Marcoussis Agreement) would
report to the Prime Minister.
4- The new Reconcilement
Government to execute Linas
Marcoussis and Accra
III Agreements. |
And
the Agreement's important decision
was that a presidential ballot
would be scheduled for October
2006, the latest.
However,
Gbagbo
succeeded for 5 years running,
to postponing the ballot,
and only agree, under intense
international pressure, to
accepting the ballot to be
scheduled for October 31, 2010.
-
PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT SECOND
LEG HELD ON NOVEMBER 28,
2010
The
first leg of the ballot took
place as scheduled on October
31, 2010, under
fairly good transparency conditions
- according to international
supervising bodies. However,
some observers did noticed "minor" violence
and disturbances in the south-west
region, the stronghold of Gbagbo's
FPI party, where balloters
from Alassane Ouatara's RDR
had been molested and stopped
from casting votes by FPI activists.
Bedié's
PDCI is also crying fool.
 Nevertheless,
the Independent Electoral Commission,
(CEI) proclaimed on November,
3, 2010, the ballot result
that shows Gbagbo leading with
38%, Ouatarra closing on with
32%, and Bedié standing
behind at 25%
Image at the left side of this
paragraph (courtesy of abidjan.net)
outlines the strongholds of
the three main contenders.
The RDR dominating the Northern
part. FPI and PDCI parting
in the South of the
country.
A run-off took place as scheduled
on November 28, 2010 between
Ouatara and Gbagbo.
Bédié kept his
words and provide a strong
support to Ouatara, who run
as the candidate of the
Heirs of Houphouet (the founding
father of modern Ivory Coast.)
According to the run-off results
released by the Independent
Electoral Commission (CEI),
Ouatara won with 54.10% of
cast votes against 45.9% for
Gbabgo. The result had been
verified and certified "correct
and true" by the UN's
representative in Ivory Coast
- in charge of supervising
the political crisis, according
to a certification agreement
procedure agreed upon between
all
parties and included in Pretoria
Agreement
Then Gbagbo, arguing that
the results had been released
beyond the time-frame imparted
to make the announcement -
four days after the end of
the ballot, instead of three
days as requested by the rules,
asked the Ivory-Coast's Constitutional
Council - whose Head is a fervent
militant of his political party
- FPI, to invalidate the results
exposed by the CEI.
This was
swiftly carried out, together
with the suppression of the
total of votes cast in the
North
(a stronghold of Ouatara,)
to declaring Gbagbo the winner
- with 51.45% against 48.55%
for Ouatara
A blatant Coup d'Etat, backed
by three Army's chiefs who
are Gbagbo's straw men. That
is the situation now. Gbagbo
lost the presidential ballot
but is hanging on power -
at the time of this writing,
on January 14, 2011,
-
THE END OF THE ROAD FOR GBAGBO
On
April 11, 2011, Gbagbo was
captured by the Republican
Forces of Ivory Coast (FRCI)
the new army established by
Ouattara. That is the end of the road for Gbagbo. Click
here for more.
Click
here
to
read
about There will be no
civil war in Ivory Coast following
the downfall of Gbagbo.
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THE
REPUBLIC OF COTE D'IVOIRE - BRIEFS
.
