Just 24 hours before polls were scheduled to open, a judge in chambers has ordered the indefinite suspension of the 12th Congress of the National Union of Journalists of Côte d’Ivoire (UNJCI).
The sudden legal intervention, issued on Thursday, follows a fierce internal battle over the eligibility of presidential candidate Franck Ettien.
The court ruled in favor of an emergency appeal filed by the “Collective for the Respect of the Laws,” a group comprising journalists Atta Etienne Narcisse, N’Dri Jerome, and Koffi Fulbert. The plaintiffs, who are closely aligned with rival candidate Marie Laure N’Goran, raised two primary grievances against Ettien. They allege that he was not up-to-date with his 2024 membership dues—a mandatory requirement for candidacy—and further claim his recent role as Chief of Staff at the Gbokle Regional Council creates a professional incompatibility with the presidency of the journalists’ union.
In response, Franck Ettien’s campaign team has categorically rejected the accusations. His supporters maintain that he is a duly registered member of the Union and confirm that he resigned from his administrative government duties specifically to pursue the UNJCI presidency. While the UNJCI Board of Directors had initially validated his candidacy in late January, the court determined that the legal dispute required resolution before the electoral process could proceed.
The judicial deadlock follows failed mediation attempts by the Ministry of Communication and a joint commission tasked with stabilizing the voter list. The UNJCI Council of Elders and Past Presidents has since issued a public plea for calm and unity, urging members to preserve the organization’s integrity. The case is now in the hands of the Dohora Blede Law Firm, and a new date for the congress remains uncertain until the substance of the dispute is resolved.
AP/Sf/fss/abj/APA