Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara votes Photo: AFPTV / Evelyne AKA A masked Ouattara voted in the plush Cocody neighbourhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast's main city and economic hub. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. On December 27, 1999, the country came under the military’s control with Guei at the helm. On September 19, 2002, while Gbagbo was in France, mutinous troops took to the streets of three cities. His own party supported the changes but the elements of the ruling coalition resisted, with the strongest opposition coming from the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire, Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alassane_Ouattara, Born on May 31, 1945, in Gagnoa, Ivory Coast; son of Zepe Paul Koudou and Gado Marguerite Koudou Paul; married Jaqueline Chanoos, July 20, 1967 (divorced, June of 1982); married Simone Ehivet, January 19, 1989; children: (from first marriage) Koudou Michel, Gado Lea, (from second marriage) Gado Marie-Patrice, Popo Marie-Laurence, three step-children. Within a year Gbagbo found himself in trouble once again for unauthorized teaching, participating in teacher unionism, and publishing materials the government deemed subversive. Alassane Ouattara, President of Cote d’Ivoire (re-elected on Oct 25, 2015 with 83.7% of the votes) Alassane Dramane Ouattara (born 1 January 1942) is an Ivoirian politician who has been President of Côte d’Ivoire since 2011. Meanwhile, he strongly rejected the idea of a West African federation of independent states because he was unwilling to have the wealthy Côte d’Ivoire subsidizing its poorer neighbours. In the ensuing months rebel forces were gaining ground to the south when France stepped in, sending in peace-keeping forces to stand between opposition forces in the north and government forces in the south, bringing the conflict to a virtual stalemate. Classical College (Lycée Classique), professor of history and geography, 1970-73, education department, 1973-74; Institute of History, Art, and African Archaeology (IHAAA), researcher, 1974-1977, director, 1980-82; Ivorian Popular Front, abroad organization representative, 1983-1988, secretary general, 1988-90; Ivory Coast presidential candidate, 1990; Ivory Coast National Assembly, elected member, 1990-99; president of Ivory Coast, 2000-. Term length: 5 years, renewable only once under the 2016 Constitution: Inaugural … Once envied by other African nations for its prosperous economy as the economy turned downward during the latter decades of the twentieth century, a growing group of dissidents became … Gbagbo attended primary school in Agboville and Gagnoa, graduating in June of 1958. Learn more about Alassane Ouattara … At least 270 people died in the initial conflict, including Guei. He was inaugurated on October 26, 2000. Gbagbo was freed on July 31, 1992. Nonetheless, Gbagbo claimed that he was properly elected under the constitution that had been approved by the people of the Ivory Coast. In January of 2001 opposition forces staged a coup, but government forces responded quickly and the attempt to overthrow the government was thwarted. When early election returns pointed toward Gbagbo as the potential winner, Guei quickly dissolved the Electoral Commission and ordered an official from the Interior Ministry to declare him the winner. The son of a wealthy Baule chief, Houphouët-Boigny worked as a rural doctor and pursued a second career as a wealthy planter. At the same time, violence continued to erupt within the Ivory Coast, and Gbagbo was tied to the actions of government death squads whose offenses included the massacre of 200 Muslim civilians. Ivory Coast - the third leg of Al Qasimi’s tour - followed visits to Egypt and Kenya. President Of Ivory Coast Will Not Run For A Third Term. Over 300 people were killed in the four days following the election. Incumbent Alassane Ouattara since 4 December 2010. ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Prominent dissident Guillaume Soro, a former prime minister who was blocked from running in Ivory Coast’s presidential election, called Wednesday on the country’s military to disobey President Alassane Ouattara after he was allowed to win a controversial third term. My government has made available all necessary resources to promote the health and safety of voters and polling staff throughout the election process. During 2001, with the European Union refusing to resume financial aid to the country until all sides were represented in negotiations regarding the country’s future, Gbagbo staged several half-hearted attempts to work with oppositional leaders that proved fruitless. The Constitutional Council (Ivorian supreme court) announced incumbent President Gbagbo as the winner of the Nov. 28th 2010 presidential election -- following the rule of law and discounting votes from polling stations where there was proven fraud and violence. However, Gbagbo allotted no budgets for the rebel-held cabinet positions and continued to promote the need for strict enforcement of citizenship laws. Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko died Wednesday following cancer treatment in a German hospital, President Alassane Ouattara said in a statement. Electoral officials said Tuesday that President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast had won a third term in a landslide. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – where he rose to be deputy head – and the Central Bank of West African States (French: Banque Centrale des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, BCEAO), and he was the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire from November 1990 to December 1993, appointed to that post by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny. Supporters of incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo raise their hands in a show of support at a rally in the Yopougon district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast January 9, 2011. He was elected president of Cote d’Ivoire in the contentious presidential election of 2010 and was reelected in 2015. Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara named his close confidant and chief of staff, Patrick Achi, as interim prime minister on Monday in place of Hamed Bakayoko. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. “After several conversations, the latest of which took place on July 7, the president … In April of 2003, Gbagbo signed the Marcoussis Accord, which conceded nine cabinet positions to rebel leaders and a restructuring of citizenship laws to include more Muslim northerners. Gbagbo and eight other FPI members did manage to win seats in the National Assembly, but the PDCI continued to dominate the body by holding the remaining 163 seats. Coming under increasing government scrutiny, Gbagbo went into voluntary exile in France in 1982. He attended intermediate school at St. Dominique Savio in Gagnoa, graduating in June of 1962. Organized the Ivorian Popular Front After completing his freshman year at the University of Abidjan, Gbagbo enrolled at the University of Lyon in France to study Latin, Greek, and French. Ivory Coast's Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko died Wednesday following cancer treatment in a German hospital, President Alassane Ouattara said in a statement. Alassane Ouattara, an Ivoirian economist and politician. "Our country is in mourning. President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast don record deaths of two Prime Ministers in a space of just seven months. Dissatisfaction remained high in the academic community and was growing rapidly among the overworked and underpay military ranks. He took 94% of the vote, even winning 99% in some of his strongholds. Ouattara, currently living in the United States and whose father was from neighboring Burkina Faso, failed to qualify on both counts. Elected President Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo became the world’s first recipient of a coronavirus … The following is a list of heads of state of Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, since the country gained independence from France in 1960. With little hope of challenging Bédié’s claim to the presidency, Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara, a Muslim from the northern area and Bédié’s strongest opponent, left the Ivory Coast to take a post with the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. Bédié moved quickly to neutralize Ouattara by introducing legislation that required that all presidential candidate be of pure Ivory Coast descent and have lived in the country for the last five years. In the same year he returned to the Ivory Coast to teach history and geography at the University of Abidjan. DAKAR (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's ruling party won 58% of seats in parliamentary elections, results showed on Sunday, strengthening President Alassane Ouattara's hand to pursue his political agenda. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara,who has governed since 2011, said in March he would not run again. The president described Bakayoko as a “great statesman” in presenting his condolences Wednesday. Under international pressure to form a representative government, Gbagbo has been thus far unwilling or unable to come to terms with opposition leaders. Ivory Coast prime minister’s death heralds political jockeying. Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara on Monday named his close confidant and chief of staff Patrick Achi as interim prime minister in place of Hamed Bakayoko, who is absent due health reasons. He was inaugurated as the country’s president in 2000, but his tenure has been marred by accusations of improper elections, which led to widespread political unrest. At the beginning of 2004, Gbagbo continued to retain his slippery grip on the presidency, but he is still faced with the ongoing problems that have plagued the once-stable country for a decade, namely, a economy that is overburdened by debt, an ongoing political, religious, and ethnic crisis, a stagnated civil war, and pressure from the international community to find a way to integrate all interests into the political process. Military forces loyal to Guei fired on the crowds with little warning and 60 people were killed. Although Gbagbo and the FPI declared the election was rigged, the Supreme Court refused to consider their demand for a new election. When Houphouët-Boigny publicly supported Guei, declaring that the brutal force employed against the demonstrators was necessary, over 20,000 protesters took to the streets, led by Gbagbo. Ivory Coast former president Gbagbo breaks silence to warn of election 'catastrophe' By Loucoumane Coulibaly and Aaron Ross 10/29/2020 Los Angeles set … The first National Assembly of the Second Republic of Ivory Coast elected for the period 2000–2005 was marked by both internal political crisis and the Ivorian Civil War. When Houphouët-Boigny died in 1993 with no real plan for the democratic transfer of power, the country quickly fell into political disarray, leaving room for Gbagbo to eventually rise to power. Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has won a controversial third term in office in an election boycotted by the opposition. Houphouët-Boigny welcomed foreign investment and cooperated closely with France in economic matters, even going so far as to employ thousands of French technical and managerial personnel to ensure his country’s development. Berlin [Germany], March 11 (ANI/Sputnik): Hamed Bakayoko, the prime minister of Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), died in Germany on Wednesday after a battle with cancer, the president of the western African nation said. Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister, Hamed Bakayoko passed away on Wednesday. Gbagbo blamed Muslim northerners and foreigners for instigating the attack, thus further deepening the chasm between the Christian south and Muslim north. How Gbagbo responds to these challenges will determine his place in the history of his country. As a result, angry Muslims once again took to the streets, this time clashing with FPI mobs. Once envied by other African nations for its prosperous economy as the economy turned downward during the latter decades of the twentieth century, a growing group of dissidents became increasingly vocal. Bakayoko, 55, … Incumbent Alassane Ouattara since 4 December 2010. Most RDR supporters had boycotted the election due to Ouattara’s absence on the ballot, thus they claimed Gbagbo’s election was not, in fact, a result of a fair democratic process. In 1974 Gbagbo became a researcher for the Institute of History, Art, and African Archaeology (IHAAA) at the University of Abidjan. Akufo-Addo leaves. By. 1946 The Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA, African Democratic Rally) was formed. The government said in a statement on Friday that Ouattara had met Bakayoko during a visit in France last week, and given the … Mr Ouattara won 99% of votes in some of his strongholds, with voters turnout around 54%. In Ivory Coast, COVID-19 infection rates are modest, and the mortality rate, at 0.6%, is among the lowest in Africa. Ivory Coast's electoral commission said Tuesday that President Alassane Ouattara had overwhelmingly won a third term in office after his two main opponents boycotted the … After his release in January of 1974, he briefly worked for the department of education. In exchange, opposition forces would disarm. But such technical and institutional preparations would mean little without a level playing field on which political parties can … Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara casts his vote as his wife Dominique Ouattara, left, looks on at a polling station during presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Ivory Coast covers an area of 322,463 km², compared it is slightly smaller than Poland, or slightly larger than the U.S. state of New Mexico. Before its colonization by Europeans, Ivory Coast was home to several states, including Gyaaman, the Kong Empire and Baoulé. Ultimately, Guei was forced to flee, and Gbagbo declared himself president. Ivory Coast faced shock and uncertainty on Thursday following the death of Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko, the West African nation's second premier to die in office in less than eight months. The PM died from cancer in Freiburg, Germany, where he was receiving medical treatment. Ghana, Ivory Coast receive world’s first free COVAX jabs. Jim Wormington, the HRW researcher who wrote a detailed report into election-related violence in Ivory Coast, says that it's "clearly premature" for the president to reject the accusation. Most of the international community agreed, including the United Nations, South Africa, and most Western countries. In 1977 he took a break from his responsibilities at the IHAAA to complete his doctoral studies at the University of Paris VII at Sorbonne. During his tenure at the IHAAA, Gbagbo’s reputation as a dissident continued to grow. Due to numerous election irregularities attributed to Bédié, both the FPI and the Rally of Republicans (RDR), a new Muslim party organized in the days following Houphouët-Boigny’s death, boycotted the presidential election held in October 1995, leaving the way free for Bédié to easily retain the presidency. He was reelected to the presidency unopposed in 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, and 1985. Under his rule it became one of the most prosperous nations in sub-Saharan Africa. ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivorian Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko died Wednesday of cancer in Germany, the presidency announced, marking the second time within a year that the country’s premier has died in office due to illness. Alassane Dramane Ouattara (born 1 January 1942) is an Ivoirian politician who has been President of Côte d’Ivoire since 2011. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. However, Gbagbo balked at allowing elections before 2005 as well as rebels’ demands that they be given control of the defense and interior ministries. The 78-year old president, who had once pledged to … Began Political Organizing Updates? The president has been named winner of all 108 constituencies, most with more than 90 percent of the vote, after a bitter presidential vote marred by … Although he was officially granted political asylum by France in 1985, the following year France’s new prime minister, Jacques Chirac, who was unhappy with Gbagbo’s socialist activities in France, pressured Gbagbo to leave. Omissions? He spent many years working in international economics before becoming involved in Ivoirian politics. Alassane Ouattara has won a third term in power in Ivory Coast after an election boycotted by the opposition. His parents, Zepe Paul Koudou and Gado Marguerite Koudou Paul, belonged to the Bété tribe. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo left Ghana on Tuesday for Cote d’Ivoire to attend the funeral of the late Ivorian Prime minister, Hamed Bakayoko. Select from premium Ivory Coast President of the highest quality. Under his leadership the country became a major exporter of cocoa, coffee, pineapples, and palm oil. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). A virtual guide to Côte d'Ivoire (also known as Ivory Coast), a tropical country in southern West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea (North Atlantic Ocean), bordered in north by Mali and Burkina Faso, in west by Liberia and Guinea, and in east by Ghana. But his two main opponents … French President Emmanuel Macron is on a visit to Ivory Coast where he visited French troops and held talks with President Alassane Ouattara aimed at … Faced Opposition PlanetRulers - Current Heads of State & Dictators. Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature.The president is elected for a five-year term by the people. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – where he rose to be deputy head – and the Central Bank of West African States (French: … Accordingly, Gbagbo returned to his homeland on September 13, 1988. No elections were held in 2005, but with the peace deal ending the Civil War, elections are expected on 30 November 2008. Ivory Coast voters cast ballots Saturday in a parliamentary election that is a key test of stability four months after a presidential vote marked by deadly violence. Under his rule it became one of the most prosperous nations in sub-Saharan Africa. In June of 1965 he earned his high school diploma from the Traditional College of Abidjan. The President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, has won a historic third term. Since being granted its independence from France in 1960, Côte d’Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast, was led by President Fé Houphouët-Boigny, who ruled under an essentially one-party political system. The Second Ivorian Civil War broke out in March 2011 when the crisis in Ivory Coast escalated into full-scale military conflict between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Ivory Coast since 2000, and supporters of the internationally recognised president-elect Alassane Ouattara. During 2003 Gbagbo agreed to meet with facilitators in Paris to open negotiations with opposition forces. From the start Houphouët-Boigny pursued liberal free-enterprise policies and developed Côte d’Ivoire’s cash-crop agriculture at a time when many other African nations were pursuing costly and abortive attempts at state-run industrialization. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. After spending two weeks in jail, he returned to France and completed a Master of Arts degree in history at the University of Paris at the Sorbonne in 1970. As the violence continued over the next several days, the parliamentary police defected to join the protesters, followed by parts of the military forces. Ouattara became the President of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR), an Ivorian political party, in 1999. His election was marked by an opposition boycott and clashes over his bid to secure a contested third term. During the 1970s, Laurent Gbagbo, a young, charismatic teacher, emerged as a leading voice of resistance. Although loyalist forces were able to regain control of Abidjan by September 25, 2002, rebel forces quickly secured control of the northern area of the country. He polled 94% of the votes to seal his third term as President of Ivory Coast. When they convinced Guei to take up their cause as their leader, Bédié recognized his situation as hopeless and fled. Photos and bios of the current Heads of State, Dictators and First Ladies. Finally, in April of 1990, Houphouët-Boigny succumbed to external pressure from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, both of whom threatened to withhold funding, by announcing that multi-party elections would be held for the first time in the country’s history. As a result of Ouattara’s exclusion, Gbagbo was once again the only opposition candidate on the ballot. By October of 2003 tensions were so high that rebel forces gave up all pretense of disarming and opposition leaders pulled out of the government, saying they had been denied any real power. On returning to his duties at the IHAAA, Gbagbo was named the institute’s director in 1980, a position he held for two years. In a controversial move in November 2012, President Ouattara sacked his government in a row over a new marriage law that would make wives joint heads of the household. Gbagbo continued to organize the FPI from abroad and, in 1983, published his political reform plan for the Ivory Coast as Côte d’Ivoire: pour une Alterative Démocratique. The following is a list of heads of state of Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, since the country gained independence from France in 1960. Opposition parties are … In 1982 Gbagbo began his clandestine organization of the unauthorized Ivorian Popular Front (FPI). The bodies were found in a mass grave by French troops on March 9, 2003. Since being granted its independence from France in 1960, Côte d’Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast, was led by President Fé Houphouët-Boigny, who ruled under an essentially one-party political system. 1944 Felix Houphouet-Boigny, later to become the Ivory Coast's first president, founded the union of African farmers, which developed into the inter-territorial African Democratic Rally and its Ivorian section, the Ivory Coast Democratic Party. These activities enraged Houphouët-Boigny, who also blamed Gbagbo for organizing a wide-spread teachers’ strike. Three days later Gbagbo was arrested under a law that provided that leaders of public disturbances could be held personally responsible. Life’s Work The Prime Minister of Ivory Coast, Hamed Bakayoko, has died in a hospital in Germany, authorities say. The former president of Ivory Coast is to be released and charges of crimes against humanity dropped after the international criminal court ruled … A government statement announcing … In the first Côte d’Ivoire elections (1945) he was elected a deputy to the French National Assembly and was easily reelected in 1946. In 1990 Houphouët-Boigny was reelected in Côte d’Ivoire’s first contested presidential elections. The area became a protectorate of France in 1843 and was consolidated as a French colony in 1893 amid the European scramble for Africa. In the late 1940s the French administration became increasingly hostile to the PDCI, especially after the Communist Party went into opposition in France, and in October 1950 Houphouët-Boigny decided to break his party’s ties with the Communists and to cooperate with the French, all the time building up his party’s strength and organization through successive elections. Elections in Ivory Coast are a chance for the opposition to regain power, with President Alassane Ouattara ruling with a majority. The protesters were treated brutally by security forces, and later Houphouët-Boigny’s army chief of staff, General Robert Guei, came under investigation for his part in allowing the brutality. The election was boycotted by the opposition. Religion: Roman Catholic. Gbagbo was born on May 31, 1945, in Gagnoa, a major city in west-central Ivory Coast. Ghana News Agency - Mar 17, 2021. The announcement rocked the country and tens of thousands protesters immediately filled the streets of Abidjan. Ivory Coast woke up on Thursday to the shocking news of the death of Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko. Career This dissenter-turned-president has yet to pull his country from the grasp of widening ethnic, religious, and political division.