ABIDJAN, July 31 — Ivory Coast's defence minister, Hamed Bakayoko, was named prime minister yesterday after acting as interim premier in the three weeks since the sudden death of his predecessor, the presidency announced. Considered a close associate of President Alassane Ouattara and a pillar of...
Ivory Coast's Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko attends a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in Abidjan, Ivory Coast January 8, 2020. — Reuters pic
He has also been mayor of Abobo, one of the West African country's most populous districts, since 2018. “His appointment comes as no surprise since he was acting prime minister and was already the government's number two,” said political scientist Arthur Banga.Bakayoko's name had circulated as a potential presidential contender before Gon Coulibaly was nominated in March as the ruling RHDP party's candidate for October's presidential election.
Ouattara had earlier ruled out running for a third term but after Gon Coulibaly's death it has emerged that the president could in fact stand for re-election. The president announced on Wednesday that the decision over his own candidacy would be postponed, citing an extended mourning period after the death of his “son” Gon Coulibaly.
In 2011, Ouattara ousted then-president Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to step down after losing elections. The months-long standoff claimed 3,000 lives.
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