Coronavirus in Ivory Coast: united opposition to call for more measures

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In the midst of a state of emergency, Côte d'Ivoire is accelerating its containment measures against the coronavirus. If the opposition parties support them, they find them insufficient and also demand the freezing of public and political service activities. In particular the suspension of operations to obtain the national identity card and the reform of the electoral code as well as the release of political prisoners.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Abidjan, Sidy Yansané

The opposition's demands are the same as in normal times, but the reasons given are different. In a joint statement, and to face the coronavirus , the PDCI and its allies, the pro-Gbagbo FPI, the GPS of Guillaume Soro, followed by the LMP, URD and LIDER parties, ask the Head of State and the government to '' halting enrollment operations for obtaining identity cards and reforming the Electoral Code. The Ivorian opposition also wants the release of the detainees and the end of the prosecution of their political leaders.

For Georges Armand Ouégnin, president of the pro-Gbagbo EDS platform, these requirements serve above all to limit the spread of Covid-19 on the territory. It welcomes the first measures taken by the authorities, but considers them insufficient.

Political quarrels set aside

Same argument with Mamadou Touré. For this close friend of Guillaume Soro, the opponents obviously heard the call for the sacred union of President Alassane Ouattara in the fight against the pandemic. But the Soroïste believes that the maintenance of administrative and parliamentary activities will only strengthen the installation of the virus in the country.

If the PDCI and the FPI have learned to speak with one voice since their merger last summer, it is rare to hear them alongside the GPS of Soro and the very lonely LIDER of Mamadou Koulibaly. With this joint press release, the opposition parties want to show the government that they are putting political quarrels aside. Only during the pandemic.

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• Ivory Coast
• Coronavirus

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