NPR's Kenneth Walker reports the head of the military junta that took power in Ivory Coast last Christmas Eve has been forced out by violent street protests. The demonstrations against General Robert Guei began yesterday when he refused to recognize his apparent defeat in Sunday's election and declared himself the winner. The protests increased today, despite the presence of troops who responded to rock and bottle-throwing with gunfire, most of it into the air. The public, enraged by ten months of governmental instability and continuing economic decline, refused to be intimidated and gradually, some members of the military began joining the protests. General Guei finally stepped down and is reported to have fled the country. The presumed winner in the election, socialist Laurent Gbagbo, has assumed power, but the election results still are likely to be contested by other candidates.
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