Ivory Coast's President Laurent Gbagbo was named as his party's candidate for November elections at a meeting on Saturday that pointed to an escalation of rhetoric in the runup to the long-delayed post-war vote, Reuters reported. Despite growing doubts the poll will take place on time, Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) flexed its political muscles in holding an extravagant gathering that blended American convention-style politics, traditional African performers and a concert. Before Saturday's event in capital city Yamoussoukro, Gbagbo had not previously been chosen as his party's candidate for the election, which has already been put back many times and is now slated for Nov. 30. Gbagbo, who was not present at the meeting, has not officially accepted the nomination, though this is expected to be no more than a formality. Elections in the world's top cocoa grower are intended to end a crisis sparked by a 2002-2003 war which divided the country, previously one of the region's most stable, and home to a vibrant economy.
