Latest news with #Ecowas
Leader Live
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Ivory Coast president announces bid for fourth term after changing constitution
His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution to remove the presidential term limit. The 83-year-old president declared his plan in a televised announcement. He won a third term in 2020 after he initially said he was not going to run again. However, he changed his position following the death of his hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. 'For several months, I have received numerous calls from fellow citizens regarding my potential candidacy in the presidential election,' the president said. Referring to the country by its name in French, he went on: 'Women and young people from all regions of Cote d'Ivoire, and countless anonymous voices from our neighbourhoods, towns and villages have reached out. 'In response to those appeals, I announced on June 22 that, as president of all Ivorians, I would, after careful reflection, make a decision guided solely by the best interest of the nation.' His most prominent rival, Tidjane Thiam, has already been barred from running by a court on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Mr Ouattara announced his third term bid, several people were killed in the ensuing violence. There have been protests against the court's decision to bar Mr Thiam from contesting the election. Mr Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing the constitutional term limit. Coup leaders in the region have used alleged corruption within democratic governments and electoral changes as a pretext to seize power, leading to a split in the regional bloc, Ecowas. 'For those critical of Ecowas and civilian governments, Ouattara's decision just reinforces the legitimacy crisis everyone in the region is facing. It makes people like Ouattara look like hypocrites,' Nat Powell, Africa analyst at Oxford Analytica, told the Associated Press. Mr Ouattara's candidacy drew strong criticism from opposition members. 'Alassane Ouattara does not want to leave power — like any self-respecting dictator,' Guillaume Soro, a former prime minister who was blocked from running in the election, said. Affi N'guessan, a candidate of the opposition Ivorian Popular Front, called Mr Ouattara's candidacy 'illegal' but said he is confident that 'a united opposition will defeat him at the polls'.
South Wales Guardian
10 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Ivory Coast president announces bid for fourth term after changing constitution
His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution to remove the presidential term limit. The 83-year-old president declared his plan in a televised announcement. He won a third term in 2020 after he initially said he was not going to run again. However, he changed his position following the death of his hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. 'For several months, I have received numerous calls from fellow citizens regarding my potential candidacy in the presidential election,' the president said. Referring to the country by its name in French, he went on: 'Women and young people from all regions of Cote d'Ivoire, and countless anonymous voices from our neighbourhoods, towns and villages have reached out. 'In response to those appeals, I announced on June 22 that, as president of all Ivorians, I would, after careful reflection, make a decision guided solely by the best interest of the nation.' His most prominent rival, Tidjane Thiam, has already been barred from running by a court on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Mr Ouattara announced his third term bid, several people were killed in the ensuing violence. There have been protests against the court's decision to bar Mr Thiam from contesting the election. Mr Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing the constitutional term limit. Coup leaders in the region have used alleged corruption within democratic governments and electoral changes as a pretext to seize power, leading to a split in the regional bloc, Ecowas. 'For those critical of Ecowas and civilian governments, Ouattara's decision just reinforces the legitimacy crisis everyone in the region is facing. It makes people like Ouattara look like hypocrites,' Nat Powell, Africa analyst at Oxford Analytica, told the Associated Press.
North Wales Chronicle
11 hours ago
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Ivory Coast president announces bid for fourth term after changing constitution
His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution to remove the presidential term limit. The 83-year-old president declared his plan in a televised announcement. He won a third term in 2020 after he initially said he was not going to run again. However, he changed his position following the death of his hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. 'For several months, I have received numerous calls from fellow citizens regarding my potential candidacy in the presidential election,' the president said. Referring to the country by its name in French, he went on: 'Women and young people from all regions of Cote d'Ivoire, and countless anonymous voices from our neighbourhoods, towns and villages have reached out. 'In response to those appeals, I announced on June 22 that, as president of all Ivorians, I would, after careful reflection, make a decision guided solely by the best interest of the nation.' His most prominent rival, Tidjane Thiam, has already been barred from running by a court on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Mr Ouattara announced his third term bid, several people were killed in the ensuing violence. There have been protests against the court's decision to bar Mr Thiam from contesting the election. Mr Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing the constitutional term limit. Coup leaders in the region have used alleged corruption within democratic governments and electoral changes as a pretext to seize power, leading to a split in the regional bloc, Ecowas. 'For those critical of Ecowas and civilian governments, Ouattara's decision just reinforces the legitimacy crisis everyone in the region is facing. It makes people like Ouattara look like hypocrites,' Nat Powell, Africa analyst at Oxford Analytica, told the Associated Press.
BreakingNews.ie
13 hours ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Ivory Coast president announces bid for fourth term after changing constitution
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has said he will seek a fourth term leading the West African nation, which is due to hold elections in October. His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution to remove the presidential term limit. Advertisement The 83-year-old president declared his plan in a televised announcement. He won a third term in 2020 after he initially said he was not going to run again. However, he changed his position following the death of his hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. 'For several months, I have received numerous calls from fellow citizens regarding my potential candidacy in the presidential election,' the president said. Advertisement Referring to the country by its name in French, he went on: 'Women and young people from all regions of Cote d'Ivoire, and countless anonymous voices from our neighbourhoods, towns and villages have reached out. 'In response to those appeals, I announced on June 22 that, as president of all Ivorians, I would, after careful reflection, make a decision guided solely by the best interest of the nation.' His most prominent rival, Tidjane Thiam, has already been barred from running by a court on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Mr Ouattara announced his third term bid, several people were killed in the ensuing violence. There have been protests against the court's decision to bar Mr Thiam from contesting the election. Advertisement Mr Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing the constitutional term limit. Coup leaders in the region have used alleged corruption within democratic governments and electoral changes as a pretext to seize power, leading to a split in the regional bloc, Ecowas. 'For those critical of Ecowas and civilian governments, Ouattara's decision just reinforces the legitimacy crisis everyone in the region is facing. It makes people like Ouattara look like hypocrites,' Nat Powell, Africa analyst at Oxford Analytica, told the Associated Press.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Alain Faso: Burkina Faso rejects Ivory Coast's statement that activist died by suicide
Burkina Faso has said it considers the death of a Burkinabé activist in custody in Ivory Coast to be an "assassination".Alain Traoré, commonly known as Alino Faso, had been arrested six months ago in Ivory Coast, on charges of Saturday, the Ivorian authorities announced that 44-year-old Traoré had taken his own life two days prior, while being held at a military Faso's information minister said the government "rejects the suicide theory", while Traoré's supporters have accused Ivory Coast of carrying out "a cover-up for political repression". Traoré was a prominent advocate of the military-led governments in Burkina Faso and other countries across the Sahel juntas have strained relations with regional bloc Ecowas, which wants democratic rule to be restored in the of Traoré's supporters allege that Ivory Coast, a Ecowas member, wanted to silence Traoré over his dissent against the activist led a huge community online - on Facebook alone he had more than 400,000 Traoré was arrested in January, human rights groups and Traoré's supporters said the charges against him were politically response to the activist's death, Burkinabé Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré called for "full light to be shed on this tragedy" and demanded the body be repatriated to Burkina criticised the Ivorian authorities for announcing Traoré's death in a public statement on social media, and allegedly not contacting his family first."There is a great deal of contempt, a lack of respect and courtesy for the authorities and the people of Burkina Faso, and it is even more so for the family of the deceased who discovered such painful news on social media," the foreign minister added that on Monday, he summoned the Chargé d'Affaires of the Ivorian Embassy in Burkina Faso in order to obtain verbal confirmation of Traoré's Coast's public prosecutor has said investigations into the "motives and circumstances" of Traoré's "suicide" were under had moved from Bukina Faso to Ivory Coast with his family in 2021. While there, he owned a digital activism, Traoré organised aid for displaced civilians. Rights groups previously said Traoré was detained in "inhumane" conditions and accused the Ivorian authorities of violating international human rights norms. You may also be interested in: Why Burkina Faso's junta leader has captured hearts and minds around the worldIs Ivory Coast's red card politics an own goal for democracy?Why 'pan-Africanist' influencers pushed rumours of a coup Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
