New Election Date

After five years of delays, presidential elections will be held on October 31 according to Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. The date was agreed by the Ivoirian cabinet upon the recommendation of the country's electoral commission. President Laurent Gbagbo - who has been accused of deliberately delaying the polls for fear he will lose - confirmed that elections would take place "this year" in a speech which appeared to mark the beginning of his electoral campaign. While the announcement is a positive sign, several important issues could yet stand in the way. Chief among these are the agreement over the composition

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