The resulting four months stand-off was only ended when Mr Ouattara's forces overran the south of the country, finally capturing Mr Gbagbo and declaring him deposed. In November 2011, Mr Gbagbo was transferred to The Hague to stand trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. The international community and the UN then sent a clear message to political and military actors that, they must accept the results of the 28 November vote. Anyone sabotaging the run-off through fraud, intimidation or violence runs the risk of new UN sanctions. During the coming days, Ivorian political leaders must work hard to lower the temperature and build on the gains of an exemplary first round, which disproved the most pessimistic forecasts. After a relatively peaceful campaign, there were no significant incidents during polling on 31st October. International and national observers expressed their satisfaction. Moreover, there was a record turnout of close to 84 per cent, proof of the willingness of citizens to put a tumultuous decade behind them. The laudable attitude of voters contrasted, however, with a poll marked by technical flaws albeit too few to call into question the overall results. Election officials were absent from many polling stations. The tallying and verification of results revealed the weakness of the Independent Electoral Commission (Commission électorale indépendante, CEI), which neglected to keep the public informed of progress for
The resulting four months stand-off was only ended when Mr Ouattara's forces overran the south of the country, finally capturing Mr Gbagbo and declaring him deposed. In November 2011, Mr Gbagbo was transferred to The Hague to stand trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. The international community and the UN then sent a clear message to political and military actors that, they must accept the results of the 28 November vote. Anyone sabotaging the run-off through fraud, intimidation or violence runs the risk of new UN sanctions. During the coming days, Ivorian political leaders must work hard to lower the temperature and build on the gains of an exemplary first round, which disproved the most pessimistic forecasts. After a relatively peaceful campaign, there were no significant incidents during polling on 31st October. International and national observers expressed their satisfaction. Moreover, there was a record turnout of close to 84 per cent, proof of the willingness of citizens to put a tumultuous decade behind them. The laudable attitude of voters contrasted, however, with a poll marked by technical flaws albeit too few to call into question the overall results. Election officials were absent from many polling stations. The tallying and verification of results revealed the weakness of the Independent Electoral Commission (Commission électorale indépendante, CEI), which neglected to keep the public informed of progress for