The Constitutional Council is the highest jurisdiction in the country and its ruling cannot be appealed, but a Burkina Faso brokered peace deal in 2007 between Ivory Coast’s northern rebels and Gbagbo gives the UN mission (ONUCI) in the West African country the right to certify the results of an eventual presidential election.

The Constitutional Council on Friday cancelled votes from seven departments in the rebel-held north following a complaint of “massive frauds during the Nov. 28 run-off” lodged in by Gbagbo’s ruling LMP party against Ouattara’s RHDP party, and handed victory to Gbagbo with a score of 51.45%. Observers say the Constitutional Council chairman Yao N’Dri and his collaborators are close allies of Gbagbo.

At a press conference in Abidjan on Friday, the ONUCI boss Youn-jin Choi said “even if the LMP party’s complaints are taken into account, the results published by the CEI would still give Ouattara a victory.”

Reactions

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon congratulated Ouattara on Friday. Shortly after, US President Barack Obama and French President Nicholas Sarkozy also sent their congratulations to the Ivorian opposition leader.

The European Union, African Union and ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) have been reiterating calls on incumbent President Gbagbo to respect “the verdict and the will of the Ivorian people by accepting defeat.”

Ivory Coast Prime Minister Soro Guillaume and the rebel forces have condemned the decision of the Constitutional Council, affirming their support for Ouattara.

But the chief of army staff Gen. Mangou told reporters that he and his troops were behind Gbagbo, who will be invested as the new president on Saturday according to state TV RTI.

Situation

On the streets, several supporters of Ouattara erected barricades across Abidjan on Friday night, and burnt tires, but were dispersed by the police moments before curfew began.

Local newspapers reported deadly clashes between rebel forces and loyalists on Friday night in the town of Douekoué, southwest of Abidjan, in which 15 people were killed and many others injured.

Radio France Internationale (RFI) said exchange of fire took place on Friday night near the international airport between government soldiers and unknown heavily armed men.

After eight years of armed crisis and a long search of a viable peace deal across several African and European cities, the Ivory Coast seemed close to a long-lasting peace with an open presidential election held on Oct.31 and a run-off on Nov.28, but the current situation suggests the contrary.