Alassane Ouattara was officially sworn in on Friday as the president of Ivory Coast, following months of conflict, according to dpa. By taking the oath, he ended the presidency's state of legal limbo, which had been in effect since elections last November, and the office is now firmly in Ouattara's hands. The swearing-in, attended by regional chiefs and political leaders, is to be followed by a ceremony with foreign heads of state planned for later this month in Yamoussoukro, the capital. Also, in another return to normalcy, cocoa experts were expected to resume. Ivory Coast is the largest producer of the crop in the world. For three months, the political violence has halted shipments, a vital source of national income. Constitutional Council President Paul Yao Ndre presided over the oath taking. It was a reversal for the judge, who late last year had rejected Ouattara's victory at the polls, setting off months of heavy fighting. On Thursday Ndre changed his decision, conceding the defeat of his ally, former president Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo is currently being held by Ouattara's forces in the north of the country. He surrendered last month as his forces were being defeated, setting in motion the end of the bloody feud, which killed thousands of people and displaced more than 1 million.
