ABIDJAN, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and 12 others seriously injured on Friday in Cote d'Ivoire's central west town of Gbagbo, 230 km from the economic capital Abidjan, a sad day marking an escalation in the crisis linked to the presidential elections.

The clash erupted between the security forces and hundreds of protesters against the dissolution of government and the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) by President Laurent Gbagbo last week.

The Ivorian News Agency (AIP) quoted hospital sources as reporting that at least five people were killed and 12 others injured by the bullets during the confrontations.

The demonstrations were organized by youths who claimed to belong to the opposition Assembly of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP). They were demanding the re-establishment of CEI dissolved on Feb. 12.

For days, protests against the decision taken by President Gbagbo have been staged in Abidjan and other cities in the West African country. The opposition accuses Gbagbo of play "delay tactics" to abort another planned polls set for late February and early March.

The country has postponed the long overdue vote several times since 2005. when Gbagbo's term of office expired.

On Wednesday, the areas of Treichville, Marcory and Koumassi in Abidjan witnessed protests during which a number of buses belonging to the Abidjan Transport Company were smashed and set on fire.

On the same day, in the political and administrative capital of Yamoussoukro, the youths of the opposition camp also took to the streets and the police arrested 10 people.

The opposition protests were reported elsewhere in the cities of Bondoukou, Daoukro, Dimbokro, M'bahiakro, Toumodi, Abengourou, Didievi and Tiebissou.

The opposition parties, including the Assembly of Republicans (RDR) led by Alassane Ouattara and the Democratic Party of Cote d'lvoire (PDCI) headed by Henri Konan Bedie, both under the umbrella of the RHDP, have called on their supporters to oppose "by all means" the decision to dissolve the government and CEI, saying they do not recognize Gbagbo as the president any longer.

Reappointed to the position of the prime minister, Guillaume Soro, who is also the leader of the ex-rebel New Forces (FN), continues consultations to form a new government expected at the end of the week. Soro was named the prime minister under a peace accord signed with Gbagbo in 2007.

The problem is that the RHDP has tied their participation in the government to the re-eastablishment of CEI.

The hope for a new government looks dim in the wake of the Gbagbo clash. "We have a number of people injured, some of them very seriously and they have been evacuated to the town's general hospital," the leader of PDCI youth wing Konan Gildas told AIP.

Things are getting worse, Konan warned. "They were going to remain on the streets until (president) Gbagbo reverses his unpopular and undemocratic decisions," he added.

In the beginning of this week, the presidential camp denounced the "acts of vandalism and sabotage" by the opposition.

The turmoil is reminiscent of tensions several years ago. A voter list controversy led to a military coup attempt against Gbagbo in 2002 and then to a civil war. The country has yet to move out of the war shadow with Gbagbo's administration controlling the south and the FN still holding the north. The current standoff came out of a similar voter list spat, in which Gbagbo's supporters accused the CEI chief of putting some suspected names on the list in favor of the FN, while the latter denied the charges.