A “peace plan” signed by both contenders for the presidency should have solved the four-month-old political standoff, but now that the high court has completed a ballot recount and declared the opposition leader the winner, with enough votes to claim the office outright, the incumbent has refused to accept the result. His action will no doubt encourage supporters to retain a blockade of the capital, exacerbating the economic crisis and raising the specter of armed conflict. Some provincial governors have threatened to secede, which could lead to civil war.
