The Ivory Coast incumbent, President Alassane Ouattara, may reconsider not contesting for a third term in office. Despite a previously announced and lauded decision to hand over power to a new leader, the recent death of Prime Minister and presidential candidate, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, and pressure from the ruling Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace Party (RHDP) may push the incumbent in this direction.
On Monday the 20th of July 2020, the ruling party announced that it had asked President Ouattara to take another shot at the presidency and run for a third term, following the death of his Prime Minister and party-appointed successor. The president had previously endorsed Prime Minister Coulibaly as the party’s candidate for the October 31st presidential polls in Ivory Coast.
However, things took a different turn for the president and the party when Coulibaly passed awayon July 8, leaving the party without a candidate in the run-up to what is setting itself up to be one of the most hotly contested elections since the polls in 2010 between Ouattara and former President Laurent Gbagbo resulted in a brief civil war that killed thousands.
The former Prime Minister died less than a week after he returned to the West African country after an extended medical leave in France over heart issues.
“A majority of our supporters have turned to President Alassane Ouattara. He is our solution, and I have explained this to him,” the party’s executive director, Adama Bictogo, told RFI radio, before adding that Ouattara’s candidacy would reduce the burden on the party by ensuring that avoids a bitter succession battle.
“Why should we take the risk when we have this certainty,” he said. “If he (Ouattara) refuses, we then we’ll look into it and make a decision. For now, I have no other candidate in mind.”
Bictogo also revealed that Ouattara is set to announce his decision over the next few days, as to whether or not he accepts the party’s offer.
While the constitution permits Ouattara to run again if he wants to, he made it known early this year that he had no intention of running. However, if he does, he could be running against ex-president Henri Konan Bedie of the former ruling PDCI party.
