by Stephane Orjollet ABIDJAN, Nov 21 (AFP) - Charismatic Ivorian opposition leader Alassane Ouattara is once again the focus of suspense here as the country waits to hear whether he will be allowed stand in upcoming legislative elections. Ouattara, a popular former prime minister, was barred from standing in last month's presidential poll, under constitutional changes brought in by the regime of former military ruler General Robert Guei. A Supreme Court ruling then said he had suspect identity documents and had in the past used another nationality, that of Ivory Coast's northern neighbour Burkina Faso. On Wednesday the National Electoral Commission will announce which candidates are eligible to stand in the December 10 vote. Ouattara's name is the one everyone will be watching out for. Whilst a presidential hopeful, Ouattara, who leads the Rally of Republicans (RDR), had said he would not stand for a seat in the national assembly. But last week he announced he would run for the northern Kong constituency, standing in for his brother who was taking retirement. Ouattara's opponents reacted with indignation. Notre Voie newspaper, the mouthpiece of new president Laurent Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party immediately published a piece on problem candidacies. "Under what pretext can Ouattara's candidacy be retained?" the article asked. Ouattara's supporters clashed violently with Gbagbo supporters last month after Guei's ouster, and at least 100 people were killed. Ouattara's supporters were calling for fresh polls. They have since reluctantly accepted Gbagbo's victory, with both Ouattara and the new president stressing the need for peace and reconciliation. The electoral commission has the first call on candidates, but then any voter on the electoral list is allowed to contest a candidacy the commission approves. If that happens -- and many here say that is inevitable -- the case goes before the Supreme Court, the body which last time ruled against Ouattara. Ouattara's lawyers say they are hopeful this time, pointing out the the conditions of eligibility for the legislatives are less restrictive than for the presidency. They say that the list of objections presented by the Supreme Court barring Ouattara from the presidential race contains no elements that could exclude him from the legislatives. RDR lawyers also claim the first decision was a political one "motivated by circumstances". Most here say the Supreme Court was the puppet of the former military regime, after Guei placed his former legal adviser, Tia Kone, at its head. "Now the circumstances have changed, we are not worried," said lawyer Emmanuel Assi. The new government is holding up the separation of powers in the state to wash its hands of the matter. "It is not for the government to say whether Mr Ouattara can be a candidate in the legislative elections," said Defence Minister Moise Lida Kouassi. "Individual voters can contest the eligibility of a candidate, then it is up to the Supreme Court. The government does not figure at any stage of the process," he added. As from Wednesday, voters have three days to contest a candidacy. The candidate has two days to reply and the Supreme Court has another three days to rule. so/crl/kc _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------