Ivory Coast candidates each claim victory

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - The two candidates in Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election took dueling oaths of office Saturday after each claimed victory, as the political crisis spiraled out of control and renewed unrest in this country once split in two by civil war.

Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo defied calls from the United States, France and the United Nations to concede defeat, wrapping himself in the Ivorian flag as he was sworn in for another term. Hours later, opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara announced that he had taken his own oath.

Saturday's developments leave Ivory Coast with two men who both claim to be president, further inflaming the political chaos in the West African nation whose once-prosperous economy was destroyed by the brief 2002-03 civil war.

President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy say Ouattara is the rightful winner and that his victory must be acknowledged. The top UN official in Ivory Coast is also standing by results released Thursday by the country's election commission that put Ouattara ahead.

Gbagbo says he is the rightful winner, citing the Ivorian constitution that gives ultimate authority on the issue to the country's constitutional council, which declared him the winner. However, Ouattara points to a 2007 peace deal that states that the UN must certify the election results.

Yesterday, Ouattara supporters took to the streets, burning tires and a table in one neighborhood.

The country was placed on lockdown immediately after the commission announced Ouattara's win on Thursday.