It is this Monday, December 14, that Alassane Ouattara will be sworn in for a third term as head of Côte d’Ivoire. A ceremony will be held at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan where several African leaders will be announced.
as reported from Abidjan, Pierre Pinto
The ceremony is supposed to be “sober” – 300 guests alike – and will take place at the presidency in the form of a hearing of the Constitutional Council. Alassane Ouattara will take the oath of office on the Constitution and then be given the “great order necklace”. Then he will hold a solemn address before military awards.
An official lunch follows, which the president says should be attended by a dozen heads of state, such as Beninese Patrice Talon, Togolese Faure Gnassingbé, Congolese Denis Sassou-Nguesso or even Ghanaian Nana Akufo-Addo, the current president of ECOWAS. France will be represented by its Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Alassane Ouattara is sworn into an internal context of political stalemate, despite a relaxation launched on November 11 by a meeting with the leader of the PDCI, Henri Konan Bédié. The process has been quiet ever since.
Last week, by the voice ofHenri Konan Bédié, the opposition, while again rejecting re-election of Alassane Ouattara, called for an inclusive “national dialogue”, in particular to reform the constitution and organize new elections. “A provocation” and a “recognition of failure”, replied the RHDP, the ruling party.
► To read also: Ivory Coast: RHDP in power tackles opponent Bédié’s latest proposal
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