In Cote d’Ivoire, President Laurent Gbagbo’s gamble to hold elections did not work out as planned.  You guessed it he was supposed to win easily. After all it’s his (and his party’s) government and it is his country and he’ll run it as he pleases. If you remember he postponed it for at least a decade.

When the final results for a second round of voting came in last week, Gbagbo’s main rival, Alassane Ouattara (a northerner, Muslim and former prime minister) had won by a clear majority. Instead Gbagbo’s allies on the national electoral campaign held back results (one pro-Gbagbo commissioner tore up results showing Ouattara winning live on state TV),  banned foreign broadcasters (as an Ivorian living in New York City remarked to a friend, ‘These guys think it is still the 20th century when they could block news”) and by Saturday night Gbagbo–backed by the military of course–had himself sworn in and so did Ouattara. Now there’s confusion amongst the populace and tempers are fraying in Abidjan. With Thabo Mbeki called in to mediate expect a coalition government where the loser remains president and the winner as prime minister. I have seen this before.) There are only so many ways to tell Gbagbo–ironically a historian by training–that he must go. Ivorian reggae singer Tiken Ja Fakoly (recorded live in Paris) says it better: “Mr President, quit the power.”