Ivory Coast Opposition and civil society group members came out on the streets in Abidjan on Thursday to protests against President Alassane Ouattara’s decision to run for a third term in October elections, reported Reuters.
The ruling party nominated him as its candidate after its previous presidential election candidate, Prime Minister Amadou Coulibaly, died in July from a heart attack. Ouattara had previously promised not to run again.
There have been scattered protests in the West African nation since last week when Ouattara confimred that he would run in the Oct. 31 election. Critics claim that the president’s decision is against the constitution and will destabilize a country still recovering from civil war.
The constitution of Ivory Coast limits presidential terms to two, but Ouattara pointed out that a new constitution adopted in 2016 acted as a reset button, allowing him to run again.
Opposition political parties have called out Ouattara to withdraw his candidacy, and demanded the resignation of the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission of Ivory Coast.
Coalition for Reconciliation, Democracy and Peace party spokesman Aka Ahizi said that Ouattaras decision violates the country’s constitution which he is supposed to be the guarantor.
On Wednesday, the government said it had not authorised the demonstrations planned for the following day and would take action to stop protesters from blocking traffic.
The October election is seen as the greatest test yet of the tenuous stability achieved since a brief conflict killed about 3,000 people following Ouattara’s first election win in 2010. It is feared that the president’s decision could accelerate tensions, leading to deeper political crisis.
“A wave of blind repression and brutal attacks is hitting young Ivorian democrats,” opposition candidate Henri Konan Bedie said in a statement.
Bedie, who was president from 1993 to 1999, is Ouattara’s main challenger in the upcoming election.
