Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Thursday confirmed he does not intend to seek re-election when his second five-year term ends later this year, ending months of speculation over whether he would run for a third term, reported Reuters. The announcement comes ahead of the October elections.
Ouattara had previously said he would run again in the election if his longtime political rivals Laurent Gbagbo, 74, and Henri Konan Bedie, 85, were candidates, defying opponents who claim the constitution does not allow him to run for a third term.
In a speech before lawmakers in the capital, Yamoussoukro, Ouattara said he would hand over power to a new generation after 10 years in office.
“I would like to solemnly announce that I have decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election on October 31, 2020 and to transfer power to a young generation,” the president said. “It was an honor to serve my country.”
Ouattara was first elected as the president of Ivory Coast in a 2010 election that resulted in a brief civil war when his predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to concede defeat. Around 3,000 people died in the violence. Last year, Gbagbo was acquitted at the International Criminal Court in The Hague over charges of crimes against humanity in the post-election violence.
Political tension has been looming the country recently after the government issued an arrest warrant for Guillaume Soro, a presidential candidate and former rebel leader whose forces swept Ouattara to power in 2011. Former Prime Minister Soro is currently the only person to have declared himself a presidential candidate.
Rival leaders Gbagbo and Bedie have not yet confirmed whether they will be candidates in October.
In his speech, Ouattara also announced a number of proposed changes to the constitution but clarified that none of them would be used to exclude rivals from the presidential election.
