Presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire: Henri Konan Bédié, unifier, calls for the "return of the exiles"

Uniting the Ivorian opposition around his candidacy, such seemed to be the ambition of Henri Konan Bédié for his official inauguration by his party on Saturday, September 12.

On this occasion, the former president (1993-1999) and leader of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) spoke at a meeting that brought together tens of thousands of activists in Yamoussoukro, the hometown by Félix Houphouët-Boigny - President of the Republic from 1960 to 1993, founder of the PDCI… and mentor of "HKB", who claims his succession.

"I invite all political formations and political platforms, which so desire, to support my candidacy for the presidential election of October 31, 2020 (...). I will with the opposition win this presidential election," declared in the tribune Henri Konan Bédié, 86 years old.

This Saturday, during my inauguration in the presidential election of October 31, 2020, I unveiled the @pdcirdaofficiel program for Côte d'Ivoire 🇨🇮. # HKB2020 # CIV225 #CIV # PresidentielleCiv2020 pic.twitter.com/FLUeRMP1Ji

- Henri Konan Bédié (@HKBofficiel) September 12, 2020

The "Sphinx of Daoukro" also formulated this promise in the event of success in the presidential election: "I commit myself from my accession to the supreme magistracy, to set up a government of wide openness, federating all the political formations and the forces social groups who so desire and to take concrete and immediate measures for the unconditional return of all exiles, the release of all political, civilian and military prisoners from the post-electoral crisis of 2010 to the present day ".

A rallying message to, among others, ex-president Laurent Gbagbo and ex-rebel leader and former prime minister, Guillaume Soro.

These two heavyweights of Ivorian politics are both exiled, respectively in Belgium and in France.

And on Saturday, delegations from their respective parties, the Ivorian Popular Front and Generations and Peoples in Solidarity, were present in the assembly.

Gbagbo and Soro struck off the lists, Ouattara's candidacy contested

Laurent Gbagbo and Guillaume Soro saw relatives submit their respective candidatures for the presidential election at the end of August.

They have, however, little chance of success: one was sentenced for the so-called "BCEAO robbery" case, the other for "concealment of embezzlement of public funds", which earned them '' be struck off the electoral lists on August 22 by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI).

The Ivorian Constitutional Council, which is due to rule and publish the list of validated candidatures for the next presidential election this week, should follow the path of the CEI and invalidate these two candidacies, according to judicial sources contacted by AFP.

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This situation could benefit the candidacy of Henri Konan Bédié, determined to rally the Ivorian opposition.

At 86 years old - an age which has earned him criticism but which he considers "an asset" for the presidential office - "HKB" aims to gain the upper hand over the outgoing president, Alassane Ouattara, with whom he has been in political rupture since 2018. "He wants his revenge on Ouattara, whom he supported [in 2010], but who has not, according to him, respected his commitment to give power back to the PDCI in 2020. He does not want to stay in the country. History like the one who lost the power of the PDCI of Houphouët ", estimated in July 2020 an observer of Ivorian political life.

The fact that Alassane Ouattara is running for a third consecutive term - which is the subject of a legal challenge - has only added to the tension.

"Ouattara's third term would be illegal [according to the Ivorian Constitution]," said Henri Konan Bédié in an interview given in July to France 24.

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Like the previous one, the Ivorian Constitution of 2016 limits the number of presidential terms to two.

But supporters of Alassane Ouattara claim that the change of the Constitution has reset the counter to zero.

The announcement of his candidacy sparked protests that degenerated into violence that left several dead in August.

And a few weeks before a presidential election which promises to be under high tension, the specter of a scenario similar to the presidential election of 2010. The post-electoral crisis, where the then president, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to recognize his defeat against Alassane Ouattara, had left 3,000 dead.

With AFP

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