Ivory Coast Coalition Partner Rejects Merger Before Elections

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – The main partner in President Alassane Ouattara’s ruling coalition won’t go ahead with a proposal to unify their parties before presidential elections in two years and plans to field its own candidate.

The announcement is a setback for Ouattara and plans to merge the six parties that make up the ruling coalition, which would have consolidated its grip on power in the world’s biggest cocoa producer and forced the two biggest parties to agree on a single candidate. Ouattara has signaled he may seek reelection in 2020, when he’s due to step down after two terms in office.

The Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast announced its decision to reject unification with Ouattara’s Rally of the Republicans after party officials met Sunday in the commercial capital, Abidjan.

“Our leaders listened to the base and made the decision that PDCI will be an independent party with their own candidate in 2020 elections,” said Regis Aka of the PDCI’s political bureau. “The decision was unanimous.”

Earlier this month, Ouattara, 76, said a constitution adopted in 2016 allows him to extend his time in office. His statement stirred concern among members of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace coalition. PDCI leaderHenri Konan Bedie, 84, has insisted his party must nominate the coalition candidate for the next vote in return for his support for Ouattara in 2010 and 2015 polls. 

The PDCI postponed its next congress from later this year until after the 2020 election. It also extended Bedie’s mandate until the next party congress.

Source: Bloomberg Business News