Ivory Coast’s Opposition Calls For Civil Disobedience Over Incumbent President Third Term Bid

Opposition parties in Ivory Coast have called for nationwide disobedience in the form of peaceful demonstrations to try stop incumbent President Alassane Quattara’s bid for a third term in the country’s forthcoming general elections on October 31, 2020. That was reported by some media on September 21, 2020.

The call is said to have been made on September 20, 2020 by the leader of the main opposition party PDCI and presidential nominee Henri Konan Bedie, and supported by other opposition parties.

In the call, the opposition parties say President Quattara’s bid for a third term in office contravenes the country’s Constitution that stipulates two-term presidential limit. However, the incumbent president does not agree with that. He reportedly responded saying he won his two terms in office prior to the amendment to the Constitution that introduced the two-term presidential limit. As such, his two term in office are invalid under the new Constitution, hence his bid for re-election should be seen as his first bid for presidency under the Constitution.

Interesting argument by President Quattara, that is similar to that made by former president of Burundi some years ago. These sort of arguments could emanate from some ambiguity in amended Constitutions regarding how terms in office of incumbent presidents prior to amendment, should be interpreted.

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