Ivory Coast protesters say opposition targeted in probe of presidential election voter rolls

Ivory Coast opposition protests voter list probe

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Protesters torched a police station in western Ivory Coast while claiming their names had been removed from voter rolls in advance of this year’s presidential election.

Opposition leaders say Tuesday’s protest in the western city of Vavoua is part a nationwide series of demonstrations provoked by the government’s decision to contest 1 million names on the national voting list of 6 million. Opposition leaders claim their supporters have been unfairly targeted.

Protest organizers say some 3,000 people attended Tuesday’s demonstration, but denied responsibility for the fire.

Presidential elections have been delayed every year since 2005, when President Laurent Gbagbo finished his last term. Elections are now slated for late February or early March.