Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly is currently in France for medical checks, reported Reuters. He took a flight for France on Saturday, the government confirmed in an official statement. The statement, however, did not offer any other additional detail about Gon Coulibaly’s health status.
The 61-year-old Gon Coulibaly self-isolated in March after possible exposure to the coronavirus but did not test positive. He is the ruling party’s candidate in October’s presidential election.
A source close to Gon Coulibaly, who had heart surgery in 2012, said the prime minister had missed a scheduled check-up in France in April as he was busy coordinating Ivory Coast’s coronavirus response.
“His intense activity these last weeks had an impact on his health, but it is nothing very serious. He is doing well,” the source said.
The source added that Gon Coulibaly would return to Ivory Coast in a few days.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko, who fought and recovered from the coronavirus last month, will serve as interim prime minister, the statement said.
Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara designated Gon Coulibaly in March as the governing RHDP party’s candidate for the presidential election scheduled for October 2020. In March, Ouattara had announced that he would not run for re-election in October, ending all the speculations of him seeking a third term.
Ivory Coast has recorded more than 1,300 confirmed coronavirus cases, one of the highest toll in West Africa, and 15 deaths. There are now more than over 42,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the African continent. South Africa has reported the maximum number of coronavirus cases taking the total toll to over 6,336 as of Sunday, May 3.
Many African countries have extended lockdown and curfews to control the spread of coronavirus. However, countries like South Africa, Namibia, and Tunisia have relaxed the lockdown and reopened several economic sectors.
