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afrol.com , 5 December - Following the second Supreme Court decision to exclude Alassane Ouattara from participating in elections, the streets of Abidjan have been dominated by violent demonstrations for two days. Ouattara says at least 30 people have been killed. President Laurent Gbagbo has ordered a curfew for a week and imposed a state of emergency. The newly elected President also confirmed that he would not overrule the controversial court ruling, despite the massive international pressure against his Government. The Ivorian Supreme Court ruled that opposition leader Alassane Ouattara can not participate in the Parliamentary elections on Sunday on suspicions that he might be of foreign origin (Burkinabe). Outtara maintains he is Ivorian. He was not allowed to stand as a presidential candidate in the October election on the same reason, causing violent demonstrations, national and international protests and a massive election boycott by the voters. Mass action against the decision started in Abidjan yesterday, with some 20,000 demonstrators showing their support for the barred opposition leader. The marches ended up in bloody clashes with supporters of President Gbagbo, which went on today, despite the state of emergency. Oattara claims that at least 30 of his supporters were killed in the clashes. The police has confirmed 10 deaths. A spokesperson of Oattara's oppositional RDR party told the BBC today that the party now would abandon mass action and large marches, following the state of emergency and curfew, but that "other means" of protest would be found. "With the message being given out by the government, people can only respond with violence," she stated. Present President Laurent Gbagbo only was proclaimed president after former president and usurper General Guei had to flee the country on 25 October. The election was seen as neither free nor fair after major opposition leader Oattara was barred from standing as a candidate. A majority of the voters thus boycotted the poll. During the public count, the head of the electoral commission was detained and General Guei declared himself the winner, although he count indicated he was loosing. A popular rebellion made Guei flee the country, leaving victory to Gbagbo. The UN, European Union and the OAU, along with Outtara's RDR party all demanded a new election, which was turned down by Gbagbo and lead to violent demonstrations killing tens of Ivorians. Equal to the reactions following the presidential election scandal, the Ivorian Government and the Parliament elections are met with international condemnation. The European Union already has decided to suspend its electoral aid to Côte d'Ivoire, and a spokesman said that these elections now not could become "free and fair." Also the UN has condemned the exclusion of the country's most important opposition leader from the elections and is currently assessing its assistance to the poll. During the presidential elections, the European Union, the OAU, the US and other countries and organisations also pulled back their electoral assistance, driving the UN to draw back its coordination of the international observers sent in. Analysts say that further outbreaks of political and ethnic violence are probable in Abidjan and in the north of the country. The Parliamentary elections were seen as a test for the current government's democratic intentions, but now only seem to spark further polarisation in the formerly politically stable Côte d'Ivoire.
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