Ivory Coast coming to terms with two battling presidents

Alassane Ouattara—whose victory has been acknowledged by the UN, US, France and the African Union—plans to install his station chief at state television headquarters on Thursday.
He also intends to hold a cabinet meeting in government buildings on Friday. Both buildings are heavily guarded by Laurent Gbagbo’s security forces and any attempt to move in on them is likely to spark violence.

But a financial strategy to destabilise Gbagbo’s increasingly isolated government is also being quietly pursued. Ouattara wants to cut off Gbagbo’s access to state funds, making it impossible to pay civil servants and soldiers.

Such a move could set the stage for mass defections and turn the tide against Gbagbo, breaking the deadlock between the duelling presidents in this West African nation.

Ivory Coast has been operating with two presidents and two governments since a disputed November 28 runoff. Ouattara was declared the winner by the country’s electoral commission, but the next day, the constitutional council overturned those results after invalidating a half-million votes from Ouattara strongholds.