* Ivory Coast election date set for Nov. 29 * PM says date "realistic" after numerous delays * Analysts question new poll deadline (Writes through, adds analyst comment) By Loucoumane Coulibaly ABIDJAN, May 14 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's prime minister said his country will hold a long-delayed presidential election on Nov. 29, calling the timing "realistic", but analysts warned the date might slip like others set to end years of crisis. The poll is meant to reunite the world's top cocoa grower after a brief 2002-2003 war left the north of the country in the hands of rebels. Previous election deadlines have slipped during a tortuous United Nations-backed peace process. Polls are seen as a necessary precursor for reforms of the cocoa sector, which provides 40 percent of global supply but is struggling with ageing plantations, lagging interest amongst farmers and allegations of corrupt administrators. "Nov. 29 is a realistic date. We think we have more clarity and visibility on the electoral process," Prime Minister Guillaume Soro said after a cabinet meeting on Thursday. The last date given by the Ivorian authorities for a poll was Nov. 30, 2008, but that was missed as voter identification started late and has since been bogged down by financial constraints and rows over procedures. Six million Ivorians have now been registered to vote but the electoral lists still need to be verified by all parties. The thorny question of whether the northern rebels will have to disarm ahead of the polls must also be addressed. Politicians on from all sides welcomed the new date, saying it would put an end to uncertainty and encourage investors. Analysts, however, remain doubtful. "We remain sceptical about a November 2009 election date," Hannah Koep, West Africa analyst at Control Risks, told Reuters. "While operational difficulties and funding shortfalls surely made poll preparations difficult, repeated postponements have to be mainly blamed on a lack of political will," she said. Although most of the fighting ended quickly in Ivory Coast, the process of reuniting a country that was one of West Africa's most stable and economically successful states ground to a halt during French and South African-led mediation attempts. "VESTED INTERESTS" The country received a boost when neighbour Burkina Faso, previously accused of backing the rebels, secured the 2007 Ouagadougou Accord, which made Soro, a rebel, prime minister. But progress since then has been slow. "It is going to be very, very difficult, if not impossible to hold the elections (in November) just in terms of technical preparations," said one analyst, who asked not to be named. "Then there is the problem of disarmament, which will need a political agreement," the analyst added, suggesting a further delay of at least six months should be expected. Questions over nationality and who is eligible to vote have been at the heart of the Ivorian crisis but analysts say the process has also been dragged out by factions profiting from the uncertainty to illegally collect cocoa taxes and other levies. "Vested interests continue to dictate the pace of reform and overshadow the implementation of the Ouagadougou peace accords. In light of doubts over a guaranteed election victory for President (Laurent) Gbagbo it remains to be seen if polls will be held," Koep said. A U.N. panel of experts warned last month that former belligerents were re-arming and there was a high risk of violence, especially in the north, if any of the parties felt their economic interests were threatened. (Additional reporting and writing by David Lewis; Editing by Mark John and Jon Hemming))
Ivory Coast officials walk behind a wreath during a memorial ceremony for victims of a stadium crush at Felix Houphouet Boigny stadium in Abidjan April 1, 2009. At least 19 people ...
