Ivory Coast Gets New Prime Minister

Farida Adamu, August 3, 2020

Defence minister, Hamed Bakayoko has been appointed Prime Minister of Ivory Coast following the sudden demise of Amadou Gon Coulibaly in July.  Mr Bakayoko had been in an interim position of Prime Minister since the late Coulibaly went on a medical trip to France. He was confirmed on the 30th of July by the president, Alassane Ouattara.

Grand Master and Showman

Mr Bakayoko’s involvement with the freemasons earned him the title of Grandmaster of Cote d’Ivoire but he may as well have gotten it from his long history in the politics of the Ivory Coast, Mr Bakayoko has served in many governments in different capacities and was a founding member of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR), which is now Ivory Coast’s ruling party. He is also popular for being a campaign organiser and showman.

Popular expectations were that he would replace the late Mr Coulibaly as the presidential candidate of the RDR but party members insist on fielding Ouattara for a third term. He is expected to make an announcement this week about his decision which will either be him going back on his words and plunging into the 2020 presidential race or fielding a candidate, most like Patrick Achi who is another one of his close and trusted allies.

Issues to Consider 

  • Vice-president, Daniel Kablan Duncan resigned on 9th July on grounds of personal conveniences, he had tendered a resignation earlier in February but only got approval as Mr Coulibaly passed away. A replacement has not been announced. 
  • Mr Bakayoko will retain his position as Minister of Defense while taking on the responsibilities of Prime Minister. 
  • Bakayoko is a strong ally of President Ouattara and supports a third term bid for the incumbent even though Mr Ouattara is yet to confirm if he has accepted to run.
  • Opposition groups in Ivory Coast oppose a third term in office for Outtara as it would be unconstitutional but his party members insist the current constitution supports a third term bid for their candidate. 
  • Political parties have until September 1 to declare their candidates 
  • The elections are scheduled to hold on October 31. 

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