Côte d'Ivoire: why the candidacy of Henri Konan Bédié creates confusion

Henri Konan Bédié submitted his candidacy for the presidential election at the CEI on August 27, 2020, along with 43 other candidates.

SIA KAMBOO / AFP

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3 min

Henri Konan Bédié receives this Saturday, September 12 the investiture of his party, the PDCI-RDA, in view of the presidential election of October 31.

A formal nomination since the 86-year-old candidate has already submitted his file to the CEI at the end of August.

Yet since yesterday his status as a member of the Constitutional Council as a former head of state has been controversial and serves as an argument for his opponents to call on the same Constitutional Council to invalidate the Bédié candidacy.

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With our correspondent in Abidjan, 

During a hearing on Thursday, the Constitutional Council examines the PDCI's request asking for the ineligibility of

.

The lawyer for the Head of State, Abdoulaye Ben Meïte, then pleads in turn the ineligibility of

as a member of the Constitutional Council until recently according to him.

The lawyer bases his argument on a letter dated July 3, signed Henri Konan Bédié, by which the latter renounces his status as an ex officio member of the Council.

However, according to the electoral code, a member of the Council must leave office at least six months before an election in order to be a candidate.

For Me Ben Meite, Bedié's candidacy must therefore be invalidated.

Reply from the lawyer of the PDCI, Me Emile Suy Bi: Henri Konan Bédié, is not a member of the Constitutional Council since he would have already renounced this position in 2004. Another argument: article 131 of the Constitution stipulates that "

”.

However, as president of the PDCI since 1994, Henri Konan Bédié was never able to be a member of the institution.

He has never used this quality according to Me Suy Bi.

So how could this letter of July 3, recognized as authentic by the PDCI, be drawn up and delivered to the Constitutional Council?

Some within the former single party evoke a blunder.

The Constitutional Council must decide on the validity of the candidatures by September 16.

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• Ivory Coast

• Henri Konan Bédié

• Alassane Ouattara

• Ivory Coast Politics

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