ABIDJAN, Ivory
Coast
Ivory Coast’s Constitutional Council on Monday ruled that President Alassane Ouattara is eligible to run for a third term in the Oct. 31 presidential election, even as opponents said his candidacy jeopardises the West African country’s democracy.
Violent protests have rocked
Ivory Coast since Ouattara, in power since 2010, announced his candidacy. Over
a dozen people have died in clashes between protesters and police since August.
The constitution says the
president can only stay in power for two terms, but Ouattara has argued that
the publication of a new constitution in 2016 reset his presidency.
The unrest has political
observers worried that the vote could destabilise Ivory Coast, the world’s top
cocoa producer and French-speaking West Africa’s largest economy. A disputed
election in 2010 led to a brief civil war that killed over 3,000 people.
The council whittled down an
initial list of 44 candidates to just four. It ruled out Ouattara rivals,
including former President Laurent Gbagbo, who was acquitted by the
International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity charges last year, and
former rebel leader Guillaume Soro, both of whom reside outside Ivory Coast but
command strong followings inside the country.
The candidacy of another former
president, Henri Konan Bedie, was approved.
Ivory Coast has been on edge
ahead of the eagerly awaited ruling by the council.
Police fired tear gas on Monday
to break up demonstrations against Ouattara’s decision to run again. Protesters
set up barricades and shut down traffic in several towns, including the
commercial capital Abidjan, where a burning bus sent high plumes of black smoke
from the densely-populated Yopougon district. Demonstrators also torched a
truck in the western city of Bangolo, witnesses said.
Ouattara had announced in March that he will not run, but revised his decision after the sudden death of his handpicked successor Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly in July.
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