GOVERNMENT
Cote d'Ivoire's constitution of the Second Republic (2000) provides for a strong presidency within the framework of a separation of powers. The executive is personified in the president, elected for a 5-year term. The president is the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, may negotiate and ratify certain treaties, and may submit a bill to a national referendum or to the National Assembly. According to the constitution, the president of the National Assembly assumes the presidency for 45-90 days in the event of a vacancy and organizes new elections in which the winner completes the remainder of the deceased president's term. The president selects the prime minister, who is the head of government. The cabinet is selected by and is responsible to the prime minister.
The unicameral National Assembly is composed of 225 members elected by direct universal suffrage for a 5-year term concurrently with the president. It passes on legislation typically introduced by the president, although it also can introduce legislation.
The judicial system culminates in the Supreme Court. The High Court of Justice is competent to try government officials for major offenses. There is also an independent Constitutional Council which has seven members appointed by the president that is responsible for, inter alia, the determination of candidate eligibility in presidential and legislative elections, the announcement of final election results, the conduct of referendums, and the constitutionality of legislation.
For administrative purposes, Cote d'Ivoire is divided into 19 regions and 58 departments. Each region and department is headed by a prefect appointed by the central government. In 2002, the country held its first departmental elections to select departmental councils to oversee local infrastructure development and maintenance as well as economic and social development plans and projects. There are 196 communes, each headed by an elected mayor, plus the city of Abidjan with 10 mayors.
POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
Laurent Gbagbo has been President since October 26, 2000. Gbagbo took power following a popular uprising supporting his election victory after junta leader Gen. Robert Guei claimed a dubious victory in the 2000 presidential elections. General Guei had assumed power on December 25, 1999, following a military coup d'etat against the government of former President Henri Konan Bedie. Coup attempts in 2001 and 2002 escalated into a rebellion and crisis which culminated in the January 2003 signing of an accord for a power-sharing national reconciliation government. Implementation of the 2003 accord has made halting progress, and Cote d'Ivoire remains divided, with rebels occupying the northern half of the country. French Licorne and UNOCI peacekeeping troops police a demilitarized zone between government and New Forces positions.
Cote
d'Ivoire's relations with the U.S. have traditionally been excellent,
but have been somewhat strained since Section 508 restrictions
curtailed nonhumanitarian aid following the December 1999 military
coup. The restrictions were not lifted following the 2000 elections
due to questionable governmental interference before and during
the election.
Looking toward the country's future, the fundamental issue is whether its political system following the upheavals of recent years will provide for enduring stability, which is critical for investor confidence and further economic development. The political system in Cote d'Ivoire is president-dominated. The prime minister concentrates principally on coordinating and implementing the Ouagadougou Political Agreement.
However,
political dialogue is much freer today than prior to 1990, especially
due to the opposition press, which vocalizes its criticism of
the regime. Beginning in 1990, Cote d'Ivoire evolved, with relatively
little violence or dislocation, from a single-party state. Opposition
parties, independent newspapers, and independent trade unions
were made legal at that time. Since those major changes occurred,
the country's pace of political change had been slow, prior to
the period of turmoil ushered in by the December 1999 coup.
Whether
further democratic reform will take place, adequate to meet future
challenges, is unknown. As is generally true in the region, the
business environment is one in which personal contact and connections
remain important, where rule of law does not prevail with assurance,
and where the legislative and judicial branches of the government
remain weak. The political system is becoming less centralized,
with the president stepping out of his role as ruling party leader,
while attempting to decentralize many legislative functions. President
Gbagbo has promised less executive interference in the judicial
system, but it still lacks basic strength and independence.
Cote
d'Ivoire has a high population growth rate, a high crime rate
(particularly in Abidjan), a high incidence of AIDS, a multiplicity
of tribes, sporadic student unrest, a differential rate of in-country
development according to region, and a dichotomy of religion associated
with region and tribe. These factors put stress on the political
system and could become more of a problem if the government does
not succeed in implementing the reforms enshrined in the 2003
Linas-Marcoussis Accord and if the economy does not return to
consistent growth.
Political
Parties
The Ivoirian constitution affords the legislature some independence,
but it has not been widely exercised. Until 1990, all legislators
were from the PDCI. The December 2000 National Assembly election
was marred by violence, irregularities, and a very low participation
rate. Largely because of the RDR boycott of the election to protest
the invalidation of the candidacy of party president Alassane
Ouattara, the participation rate was only 33%. In addition, the
election could not take place in 26 electoral districts in the
north because RDR activists disrupted polling places, burned ballots,
and threatened the security of election officials. Following the
legislative by-elections in January 2001, 223 of the 225 seats
of the National Assembly were filled. The FPI held 96 seats, the
PDCI 94 seats, the PIT 4 seats, very small parties 2 seats, independent
candidates 22 seats, and the RDR--in spite of its boycott of the
legislative elections--5 seats.
Until
it took the reins of government in the 2000 elections, the FPI
party was the oldest opposition party. Moderate in outlook, it
has a socialist coloration but one which was more concerned with
democratic reform than radical economic change. It is strongest
in the Bete ethnic areas (southwest) of President Laurent Gbagbo.
The PDCI's "core" region may be described as the terrain
of the Baoule ethnic group in the country's center and east, home
of both Houphouet-Boigny and Bedie; however, the PDCI is represented
in all parts of Cote d'Ivoire. Former members of the PDCI's reformist
wing formed the originally non-ideological RDR in September 1994.
They hoped that former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara would
run and prevail in the 1995 presidential election, but Ouattara
was subsequently disqualified by Bedie-sponsored legislation requiring
5-year residency. The RDR is now strongest in the mostly Muslim
north.
The FPI and RDR boycotted the presidential election of October 1995 because of Ouattara's disqualification and the absence of an independent electoral commission, among other grievances. Their "active boycott" produced a certain amount of violence and hundreds of arrests, with a number of those arrested not tried for 2-1/2 years. These grievances remained unresolved, adding to the political instability leading to the 1999 coup and 2002 rebellion.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Laurent Gbagbo
Prime Minister--Guillaume Soro
Foreign Minister--Youssouf Bakayoko
Ambassador to the U.S.--Yao Charles Koffi
Ambassador to the UN--Alcide Djedje
Cote
d'Ivoire maintains an embassy at 3421 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20007; tel: 202-797-0300.
Type:
Republic.
Independence: August 7, 1960.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state
and head of government). Legislative--unicameral National Assembly.
Judicial--Supreme Court (3 chambers: judicial, administrative,
auditing); Constitutional Council.
Administrative subdivisions: 19 regions, 58 departments,
196 communes.
Political parties: Front Populaire Ivoirien (FPI),
Parti Democratique de la Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI), Rassemblement des
Republicaines (RDR), Union pour la Democratie et pour la Paix
en Cote d'Ivoire (UDPCI), numerous other smaller political parties
operate in Cote d'Ivoire.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
