Ivory Coast: the party of ex-president Gbagbo joins the Independent Electoral Commission
The headquarters of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) in Abidjan.
REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Demba Traoré will represent the African Peoples' Party-Côte d'Ivoire (PPA-CI), the political party of former President Laurent Gbagbo, within the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI).
A sign of political appeasement that the PPA-CI spokesperson interprets as "
a stage victory
".
Advertisement
Read more
With our correspondent in Abidjan,
Marine Jeannin
In Côte d'Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo's party joined the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), according to a presidential decree issued on February 22, 2023. The African Peoples' Party-Côte d'Ivoire (PPA-CI) now has a representative on the CIS Central Commission, following an agreement reached last year.
A sign of appeasement of the political climate.
It was thus Demba Traoré who was appointed to represent the PPA-CI there.
He was one of the vice-presidents of Laurent Gbagbo's former party, the FPI, and a close friend of the opponent who remained loyal during his exile.
The decision is not a surprise: it was the compromise accepted by the presidential party at the end of the political dialogue which was held at the beginning of 2022. A pledge given to the opposition to show the will to establish a commission balanced electoral system, with a view to the organization of municipal and regional elections in October and November 2023.
“
A stage victory which does not yet correspond to the real expectations of our party
”
It now has 18 members: two government representatives, six from civil society, nine from political parties – including five from the opposition – and a representative of the Superior Council of the Judiciary.
Reached by RFI, PPA-CI spokesperson Justin Koné Katinan indicated that the party accepted Demba Traoré's entry into the CEI: “It's
a victory for us.
But it is a stage victory, which does not yet correspond to the real expectations of our party for an Independent Electoral Commission.
»
To guarantee the neutrality of the structure, the PPA-CI indeed considers that the IEC must be led by a neutral personality.
A position that the opposition party promises to continue to defend for the next elections.
► To read also: Ivory Coast: Laurent Gbagbo's party criticizes the credibility of the electoral lists
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Ivory Coast