Ivorian surgeon and writer Jeremie Chifolo Yeo, a prominent figure at the 2026 Abidjan International Book Fair (SILA), has proposed a new governance model featuring a regional rotating presidency to foster lasting peace in Côte d’Ivoire.
Driven by the trauma of his experiences as a humanitarian surgeon on the front lines of the country’s various crises, Dr. Yeo suggests a political framework inspired by the Swiss system where power is allocated to different regions on a fixed four-year cycle. His journey as a writer began “by accident” as he felt a deep obligation to bear witness to the political and military violence he encountered while providing emergency care in conflict zones like Ferkessedougou, Abobo, and Duékoué.
Through his literary works, including A Doctor Among the Ivorian Rebels, The Four Walls of the Hospital, and The Invisible Commando and the Atrocities of Duékoué, Yeo chronicles 25 years of medical service to a population suffering from what he describes as a latent crisis rooted in community power struggles. He observes that political instability often stems from different groups attempting to hold onto power indefinitely once they achieve it. To break this cycle, he advocates for a radical shift where the presidency would circulate successively among the country’s major regions, including the North, Central, East, West, and South.
Under this proposed model, each region would select its own candidate according to its unique culture, and the initial order of the rotation would be determined by drawing lots. Dr. Yeo believes that reducing the presidential term to four years and guaranteeing a geographical rotation would provide every Ivorian with the assurance that their region will eventually lead, thereby de-escalating political tensions. While his unconventional proposal has garnered significant attention at the Abidjan Exhibition Center, it remains uncertain whether Côte d’Ivoire’s political actors will adopt the diagnosis of a man many now consider a “doctor of the nation”.
AP/Sf/fss/abj/APA