ELECTIONS POSTPONED AGAIN

President Laurent Gbagbo stated on 2 November 2009 that long-delayed elections set for 29 November 2009 have been postponed again due to ongoing problems in the pre-election process. The nation’s Constitutional Court is expected to set a new election date within eight days. Presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire have been postponed several times since the end of the country’s 2002-03 civil war. Recent delays in the publication of official electoral lists prompted the current postponement. In the past, rebel factions have warned that further delays could jeopardize the 2007 peace accord. With the recent postponement, there are heightened fears of a resurgence of violence, including the possibility of widespread unrest.