Laurent Gbagbo’s party enters the Electoral Commission

In this decree, dated February 15 but made public on February 22, President Alassane Ouattara appointed the vice-president of the African Peoples’ Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), Demba Traoré, to the CEI.

The PPA-CI was launched by Laurent Gbagbo in October 2021, a few months following his return to Côte d’Ivoire following his acquittal by international justice which had tried him for crimes once morest humanity in the bloody post-election crisis of 2010.

(RE) read: International Criminal Court: Laurent Gbagbo acquitted

Its participation in the CEI was one of the subjects of the political dialogue held at the beginning of 2022 in order to strengthen “democratic culture” in the country.
In addition to the appointment of Demba Traoré, the IEC has recorded the arrival of another new member, Dan Jules Démonsthène, proposed by the ruling party, the Rassemblement des Houphouëtistes pour la Démocratie et la Paix (RHDP).

It therefore now has 18 members: a representative of the President of the Republic, one of the Minister of the Interior, six from civil society, nine from political parties, including five from the opposition, and a representative of the Superior Council of the Judiciary. .

(RE)see: Ivory Coast: the alliance of the FPI and the RHDP, the ruling party

“We accept this entry (of Demba Traoré within the CEI) which was expected since the end of the political dialogue a year ago”reacted to AFP the spokesman of the PPA-CI, Justin Koné Katinan who nevertheless believes that the electoral commission is still unbalanced in favor of power. “This body must be completely reformed and abandon its partisan character”he added.

The CEI is responsible in particular for establishing and revising the electoral list, organizing the elections and ensuring the strict application of the electoral code.

The next elections in Côte d’Ivoire, the municipal and regional elections, are scheduled for October and November 2023. The presidential election is due to take place in 2025.

Since the presidential election of 2020, where violence left 85 dead and 500 injured, several signs of political appeasement have been perceptible in Côte d’Ivoire.
Legislative elections were held calmly in March 2021, and opponents Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé returned to the country, following their acquittal by international justice.

Laurent Gbagbo, sentenced to 20 years in prison in Côte d’Ivoire for the “robbery” of the West African Central Bank (BCEAO) during the post-electoral crisis of 2010-2011, was also pardoned by President Alassane Ouattara last August.
He also received at the beginning of January the arrears of his life annuity which were due to him as former head of state.