counting began in Ivory Coast on Sunday after a presidential election meant to end a decade of political crisis but which the opposition said was marred by widespread intimidation by the ruling party. Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo faces Alassane Ouattara, a former prime minister and senior IMF official, in a tight race that has triggered violence and rekindled simmering tension in the world's biggest cocoa producing country, divided by a 2002-03 civil war. An overnight curfew delayed the start of voting and polling stations in the main city of Abidjan visited by journalists were less busy than in the first round last month, when the turnout was well over 80 percent. Two observers said they had seen a similar trend. Some stations closed on time at 5 P.M. (1700 GMT) and started counting ballots but others stayed open. The opposition denounced what they said was intimidation by Gbagbo's party loyalists at several polling stations. “Since the start of the vote, we have seen systematic blocking,” Ouattara's campaign manager Marcel Tanon told journalists, adding that party representatives were prevented from going to polling stations and chased away from others. Roadblocks had been set up by pro-Gbagbo youths who checked voting cards rejected those who might vote for the opposition, he said. “(We) want to ... draw attention to the risk that this overshadows the credibility of the vote,” Tanon said. The electoral commission has said results will start to trickle out early Monday, although it could take days before a clear trend emerges. North-south divide An overnight curfew was called by Gbagbo to stem violence after at least seven people were killed in clashes in the week before the poll. The move illustrated heightened tension after a peaceful first round and was criticised by Gbagbo's rivals who feared it would be used to rig the result. Former rebels still controlling the north of the country said they would ignore it. “Now we're afraid things will get hot,” said lawyer Anderson N'Guessan.
