Ivory Coast: Simone Gbagbo comes out of her silence, the RHDP beats the campaign

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

The former first lady spoke on Tuesday August 11 to defend her husband, former President Laurent Gbagbo still in Belgium where he is awaiting a passport to return to his country. Simone Gbagbo also deemed President Ouattara's candidacy for a third term illegal.

Publicity

With our correspondents in Abidjan, Sébastien Németh and Jenna Le Bras

With a raised fist, Simone Gbagbo arrived in a conquering posture. The ex-first lady rarely speaks. But for once she has decided to speak out, as an "  opinion leader  ", when "  the hour is serious  ", and "  the future is darkening  ", she said. The vice-president of the FPI therefore asked for appeasement measures in favor of Laurent Gbagbo.

“ I would like to call on the Head of State to pass an amnesty law to make Mr. Laurent Gbagbo eligible. I invite him to issue him with a diplomatic passport. There is a right. And that he free the prisoners of the post-election crisis. And that it facilitate the safe return of thousands of exiles. That he reinstates Mr. Blé Goudé Charles on the electoral rolls and why not Mr. Soro Guillaume.  "

She then focused on the case of Alassane Ouattara, citing the Constitution or even collaborators of the Head of State. She considers her candidacy for a third term illegal.

“ The candidacy of Mr. Alassane Ouattara is not admissible. A head of state cannot say and withdraw. Especially in front of the nation. Respect for one's word must more than ever be observed in politics.  "

Proposing negotiations, Simone Gbagbo also extended her hand to power by declaring that "  nothing was lost yet  " and that "  together  " it was "  possible to build a strong, just and peaceful Côte d'Ivoire.  ".

The RHDP says it is legalistic and calls for calm

Barely a week after the officialization of Alassane Ouattara's candidacy for the presidential election on October 31, the Youth Union of the RHDP wants to work double. She held a press conference to support her candidate while denouncing the opposition which, like Simone Gbagbo, refutes the legality of a third term for the outgoing president.

“ We don't touch Ado [initials of Alassane Dramane Ouattara] »: The message has the merit of being clear. Now that the RHDP has a candidate, it is out of the question for the party's young activists that the October victory will elude them. The first urgency is therefore to close the debate on the unconstitutionality of a possible third term of the outgoing president.

“ The Constitution in no way prohibits the candidacy of our candidate. To tell the truth, the attitude of the opposition stems from a bad communication, a bad understanding and a bad will of the political class which refuses to approach serenely the presidential election of October 31, 2020  , a thus criticized Tilkouété Dah Sansan, the president of the Youth Union of the RHDP.

A few days ago, small groups of opposition supporters demonstrated in the streets of Abidjan and in several cities of the country against the candidacy of Alassane Ouattara. Three months before the election, the political situation is already tense. But that does not worry at all Youssouf Diabagaté, head of Actions Prado: “  No not at all! President Alassane Ouattara's campaign is carried out in a natural way because its record is there. Nothing is going to happen in Côte d'Ivoire, because we are all witnesses of what happened in 2010.  ”

RHDP supporters call for calm and call themselves legalists. As such, they castigate the demonstrators and instead encourage their opponents to take legal action if they wish.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

• Ivory Coast
• Simone gbagbo
• Alassane Ouattara

On the same subject

Côte d'Ivoire: government calls for calm following sporadic demonstrations

Ivory Coast, Guinea ... the "Turn the page" movement worried about the lack of work-study

Côte d'Ivoire: the period of litigation over the electoral rolls prolonged and eventful