Ivory Coast's Prime Minister Guillaume Soro says the country's presidential runoff election will take place November 28, a week later than previously planned.
Ivorian Presidential Poll Delayed to November 28
The runoff pits President Laurent Gbagbo against former prime minister Alassane Ouattara.
On Sunday, Mr. Ouattara received what may be a crucial endorsement for the runoff when former president Henri Konan Bedie called on supporters to vote for him.
Mr. Bedie finished third with 25 percent of the vote in the first-round election late last month. President Gbagbo and Mr. Ouattara moved on to the runoff after winning 38 and 32 percent of the vote, respectively.
Mr. Bedie and Mr. Ouattara had pledged to support each other if either faced President Gbagbo in a runoff.
This is Ivory Coast's first presidential election since a 2002 civil war. President Gbagbo's term officially ended in 2005, but new elections were repeatedly postponed because of failure to disarm rebels and disputes over voter registration.
Many Ivorians feared the election would trigger new violence. However, the October 31 balloting went peacefully, with voter turnout at more than 80 percent.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.