AN envoy of embattled Cote d’Ivoire leader Laurent Gbabgo was in Zimbabwe on Thursday to meet government officials, sparking rumours that the strongman is seeking President Robert Mugabe’s support to hold on to power.

The Ivorian ambassador to South Africa Zogue Abie met acting President John Nkomo to brief him on the situation in his country.

The envoy flew back to South Africa soon after the meeting that was also attended by Zimbabwe’s acting minister for Foreign Affairs Hebert Murerwa.

An official said Zogue was told that Zimbabwe would stand guided by the African Union (AU) position on Cote d’Ivoire.

Nkomo is the acting president because President Mugabe is on his annual vacation.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said Cote d’Ivoire “was asking for an international commission to come in and evaluate the whole process on voting and where to get the truth on what happened.”

“He said there must be a recount of votes and a peaceful resolution to the crisis.”

The Ivorian leader who has ruled the world’s biggest cocoa producer for close to a decade has refused to hand over power to his bitter rival Alasane Ouattara despite losing in the November 28 elections.

Gbabgo has previously likened his plight to Mugabe who accuses former colonial power, Britain and the United States of leading efforts to get him out of office.

The Ivorian leader says former colonial ruler, France is out to get him.

“When you go through what I’ve been through, you tell yourself: ‘Perhaps Mugabe wasn’t completely wrong after all,” he said last month.