Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara sworn in for third term


Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara was inaugurated Monday for a third term in office amid ongoing outcries from opposition parties.

More than 300 people attended the swearing in ceremony at the Presidential Palace, including about 10 African heads of state, as the re-elected Ouattara called for national dialogue.

Independent presidential candidate Kouadio Konan Bertin took part in the inauguration ceremony, however, the opposition, which is still contesting Ouattara’s re-election, did not take part.

On Sunday, the exiled opponent and former president of the National Assembly, Guillaume Soro, called on Ivorians to stand up against Ouattara, saying he risks sinking Ivory Coast into permanent disorder and instability.

The opposition has referred to Ouattara’s re-election to a third term as an “electoral coup d’etat.” It tried to challenge the legality of his candidacy before the Oct. 31 vote, maintaining the president had already served two terms in power.

Ouattara has been in power for nearly a decade. He initially said he would not run again this year but changed his mind after his party’s candidate died suddenly in July. Ouattara maintains that the country’s two-term limit for presidents does not apply to him because of a constitutional referendum passed in 2016.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Shatta Wale’s cocaine addiction is getting out of hand – Afia Schwarzenegger alleges

Akufo-Addo sworn in as Ghana’s President for second term.

Director of research at the Presidency, Victor Newman dead