Great Regulars: Laurent Gbagbo could have left the presidency

shortly after the 28 November elections and would have been remembered as a good but not great president. He had, no doubt, put some money aside in Europe, and in the many negotiations which followed, it is reported that he was offered a very comfortable "pension plan". He refused to leave the presidency and armed his close followers. There followed four months of violence, refugee flows, and a disorientation of the economy. Now, there are two challenges facing the new President Ouattara: the first is national reconciliation among deeply divided peoples, and the second challenge is a restructuring of the economy.

from René Wadlow: Newropeans Magazine: The Ivory Coast: Of All Sad Words

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