Bedie, who had become president following the death of independence leader Felix Houphouet-Boigny six years earlier, inherited a nation which had seen 40 years of economic stability. However, since the coup ethnic rivalries and competing interests have been the mainstays of Ivorian political life.
The present coalition government, led by Socialist Party (FPI) leader Laurent Gbagbo, includes members of Bedie's Democratic Party (PDCI) but has shut out Alassane Outtara's Republican Rally (RDR), which is closely identified with northern ethnic interests.
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