Donors highly respect Mr. Alassane Ouattara. When he became president in 2011, Ivory Coast was a ruin. The country was ravaged by two civil wars and a decade of political disorder. Under Alassane Ouattara’s leadership, the country has gotten back to its foot, feeling calmer and more productive. He has made an invasion against corruption, attracted foreign investment, and ordained over an economy that has grown by an average of 8% a year since in power. That country was once regarded as the jewel of Francophone Africa. Alassane has restored some of its gleams.
Alassane Ouattara Big Announcement
Praises and accomplishments aside, Mr. Alassane appeared to have secured reputation when, after some deception, he announced his retirement in March. The 78-year-old concluded that; he would be contented with two terms and then hand over power to a compliant successor. Before the conclusion, Mr. Alassane insisted that a new constitution in 2016 allowed him to seek a third or even fourth term.
The Short-lived Hope of the Loyal “Disciple.”
Ivory Coast prime minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, seems to have nothing but the man. Mr. Coulibaly was by his master’s side for 30 years, and this grew his loyalty so ardently that he described himself as the president’s “disciple.” His candidacy was short-lived. He passed on July 8th.
The Sudden Controversy
When asked on August 6th, pleading “force majeure,” he agreed to contest the October’s election. Opposition parties complained, saying he had finished his term.
Donors will be feeling fastidious too. On the same day Mr. Alassane Ouattara reversed course, the ruling party in Guinea asked its Alpha Condé, an 82-year-old leader, to run for the third term in an election scheduled in the same month (October).
Most outsiders will go along with Mr. Ouattara candidacy only because the other candidates aren’t creating a favorable impression. The chief opponent to Ouattara is 86-year-old Henri Konan Bédié, the former president who claims to have a voice for the youths. His government was corrupt and incompetent. He ruled between 1993 and 1999.
Return of the Evil Master
To make matters worse, he stirred up ethnic fanaticism to prevent Mr. Ouattara from running against him. The Upheaval that Ivory Coast suffered between 1999 and 2011 was Mr. Bédié’s fault.
Hope, No Hope, Anxiety Everywhere
There is still anxiety in the air, even if the third term for Mr. Ouattara represents lesser evil. Leaders become more ruthless as they become of age. Mr. Ouattara has already shown signs of authoritarianism. Former rebel leader and president’s revival Mr. Guillaume Soro was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for embezzlement. Everyone doesn’t believe in these charges Mr. Soro was subjected to. 19 people who have been around Mr. Soro are in detention since December. Mr. Ouattara’s candidacy may lead to more violence. Candidates disagree based on ethnicity rather than ideology.
There has been a lot of drama going on in the Ivory Coast. The actor that makes its entry late in the army. Some officers in the military are former rebels loyal to Mr. Soro. Some fear that the next act might be a coup d’état in case the subsequent contested election trigger violence.
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