This elite force allied with Gbagbo early in the uprising. The army also quickly switched allegiance from General Guei to Laurent Gbagbo, as the much harassed electoral commission declared Gbagbo winner of the country's disputed elections with 59.3 percent of the vote out in a 37 percent turnout. But street battles escalated as Gbagbo's supporters clashed with those of Alassane Ouattara, the country's highest-profile opposition leader who was barred from the polls.