Ivory Coast holds first presidential election in 10 years after civil war.

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[quote]Voters in Ivory Coast on Sunday cast ballots in the west African nation's first presidential elections in a decade, while across the continent in East Africa, Tanzanians participated in their fourth successive election, underscoring how varied, and volatile, African democracy still is.

The election in Ivory Coast is a critical milestone in its struggle to regain the prosperity it enjoyed before a 2002 civil war. A peaceful election now would help the world's largest cocoa producer rebuild and lure much-needed foreign investment. More violence could postpone that opportunity indefinitely.

The polls were postponed so many times that many Ivorians didn't believe the election would happen Sunday until candidates began campaigning two weeks ago. There are 14 candidates, but the contest is expected to be decided between Laurent Gbagbo, the current president; former president Henri Konan Bedie; and Alassane Ouattara, a popular opposition leader in the rebel-controlled north.

The next several months will be a test of just how far democracy in sub-Saharan Africa has come. Nearly 20 presidential elections are planned in countries across the continent through the end of 2011. Democracy isn't defined by elections alone, but the polls contribute to a broader understanding of the region's political makeup.

In the coming months, votes in countries including coup-ridden Guinea, war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo and the economic giant Nigeria will help to fill out that picture.

On Sunday, voters in Tanzania lined up peacefully to cast ballots in an election expected to re-elect President Jakaya Kikwete, a popular leader running for his second term. Mr. Kikwete has campaigned on promises to reduce corruption and to continue his fight against poverty. Election results are expected on Tuesday, though provisional results could be released earlier.

In another step toward better governance, in war-torn Somalia, the parliament on Sunday approved a new prime minister, who will begin another transitional administration.

Earlier this decade, a broader trend toward democracy in the region appeared to be gaining ground, as old post-colonial rulers were pushed out and younger, technocratic leaders took their place. The hope then was that Africa, which had struggled under oppressive, exploitative governments since colonial times, would finally have leaders who could usher in economic and democratic changes.

But in some countries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria, those hopes were dashed amid allegations of rigged polls and widespread violence. Other countries also took steps backward, shrinking political space for opposition parties and curbing the media and civil-society groups.

Freedom House, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group that measures political freedom and civil rights around the world, this year ranked only eight of 47 nations in sub-Saharan Africa among the countries it considers "free"—meaning that their citizens enjoy broad political and civil rights.

The direction the region takes in the coming years will be decided in part by elections through the end of this year and next.

On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of voters in Ivory Coast formed long, peaceful lines to cast their ballots.

"We're so happy, because we've been waiting for this moment for so long," said Sissoko Souleymane, a 32-year-old clad in jeans and a white T-shirt, waiting outside a voting center in Djibi, Abidjan.

Ivory Coast has taken a long and difficult road to this election. Rebel forces split the country in 2002, controlling the north, and the rich gold and diamond trade. A peace deal established a unity government five years later. But the former rebels were never fully disarmed, and thousands of pro-government militias still roam the west.

Poll results are scheduled to be announced by Wednesday at the latest.

If no candidate wins a simple majority, a runoff is slated to be held in late November between the top two vote-getters. But many fear a return to violence if the losers don't accept the results.[/quote]

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Today on Ivory Coast FM, find out who to vote in order to not get shot by the new president!