Talking Point: Power struggle in Côte d'Ivoire

It seems Côte d'Ivoire is no stranger to post-election disruption and violence. After decades of bloodshed over political power struggles, one would think that a lesson would have been learnt by now. Unfortunately as recent events show, that has not been the case. Although a polite TV debate proved enough to calm tensions prior to the release of the election results, the relative calm that ensued was short lived. Despite Alassane Ouattara clearly being the winner of the elections held in November, Laurent Gbagbo has also claimed victory. Both men have been sworn in and have appointed new cabinets. Gbagbo is defiantly ignoring national and international pressure to step down, and the crisis of leadership remains.

In the long term, this issue runs deeper than stability in governance. At a time when investor confidence is growing in Africa, these tensions are likely to be a blow for the world's largest cocoa producer. Given the current state of affairs, Côte d'Ivoire is unlikely to attract the investors it seeks in order to diversify its economy.

The situation has been handled incompetently at best; it seems that after years of the same struggle, a solution remains frustratingly elusive. What are your thoughts on the issue? Why do leaders find it so difficult to let go? What structures could be put in place to prevent this from happening? Why does this problem seem to be so common in our part of the world?