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Another temporary fix

No government, no electoral commission, no firm date for elections – the President has got what he wanted

Once again, President Laurent Gbagbo has driven democratisation off the rails. On 12 February, he used Article 48 of the Constitution, which allows him to take exceptional measures when the state’s institutions are threatened, to dissolve both the government and the Commission Electorale Indépendante (CEI), saying it was not independent enough. Elections, once due in December, then postponed to February or March, are put off yet again, for the sixth time (AC Vol 51 No 1). Late April or early May are now talked of. Yet Gbagbo’s term in office officially expired in 2005....

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Free article preview

Another temporary fix

No government, no electoral commission, no firm date for elections – the President has got what he wanted

end of free article preview

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