The chocolate industries of the world have been watching the elections in Ivory Coast, Africa very closely. And the results are making some people nervous.
On December 4, 2010, both the incumbent and the challenger took the oath of office as president.
Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent, was declared the winner by the Constitutional Council after rejecting the Electoral Commission’s vote count from the November 28 election. Gbagbo’s opponent, Alassane Ouattara, allegedly won the vote on that day but is accused of rigging the results in the northern states.
Ivory Coast is the world’s leading cacao producer, and cocoa purchasers speculate that borders could close and exports could be disrupted because of these political issues. This impasse could have a negative impact on their economy since cocoa is almost one third of the country’s gross domestic product.
The current situation has the potential to escalate into violence, and that may force small cocoa traders to stop their operations.
Peace mediator, former South African President Thabo Mbeki, has been trying to reach an agreement between the two “presidents.”
I hope both Peace and Chocolate come out winners.
