Ivory Coast president's party wins half of seats (AP)

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast ? Ivory Coast election officials say the president's party now controls half of the parliament.

Electoral commission president Youssouf Bakayoko said early Friday that President Alassane Ouattara's party had won 127 of 254 seats in Sunday's vote.

Officials have hoped that the election can help bring stability and economic growth to this once-flourishing West African nation, which is a leading cocoa producer.

But the party of arrested ex-president Laurent Gbagbo called for a boycott of the legislative poll.

Gbagbo awaits trial at The Hague over accusations that his forces committed murder and rape after losing last year's presidential vote.

Prosecutors say about 3,000 people died in violence by both sides after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_af/af_ivory_coast_election

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