Political scientist Eddie Guipie deciphers for APA news, the reasons and possible consequences of the recent resignation of Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi.
Is Mr. Patrick Achi’s resignation as Prime Minister a surprise?
One would be tempted to say both yes and no. The fact that he was not dismissed or that the government was not dissolved at the initiative of the President of the Republic, shows however, that Patrick Achi still has the Head of State’s trust.
In our system, when the Prime Minister resigns, it means that a new government is to be formed immediately. That is why we have two hypotheses. The first would be that the Patrick Achi government is renewed on a much tighter basis with fewer ministers to respond to the concerns and expectations of the people hit by the high cost of living.
The second hypothesis would be that another Prime Minister is appointed by the Head of State to lead the government.
It is important to know that in politics, all options are open and no hypothesis should be ignored. There was a dispatch two to three hours before the resignation of the Prime Minister indicating that there would be a government reshuffle and that the Prime Minister would be appointed as vice-president and probable successor to the Head of State.
We are in a constitutional architecture where the president has the initiative and accumulates many powers. This allows him to choose his successor or to muddy the waters in an attempt to slow down or ruin the ambitions of certain officials.
What was the nature of the relationship between President Alassane Ouattara and Patrick Achi?
It is a cordial relationship, a relationship of work and trust, (though he is from the ‘Parti Democratique de Cote d’Ivoire’ PDCI, former ally) as Mr. Patrick Achi, before becoming Prime Minister, was Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic. In this position, you are in daily contact with the President of the Republic. It is the transmission belt of the Head of State. You cannot entrust this position to someone you do not trust.
This means that it is a man the president has had the opportunity to test in several positions.
Prime Minister Patrick Achi came in a particular context, characterized by the death of his predecessor. It was therefore necessary to keep the government at the helm, and the Head of State decided to choose someone who is now recognized as a technocrat.
That said, the Head of State had expressed his dissatisfaction on certain points, particularly on the social aspect, and the government announced that it had to respond to social expectations.
What could be the profile of the next Ivorian Prime Minister?
The resignation of Prime Minister Achi came as a surprise to me, but it is due to political constraints. Most of the time, the government resigns after major elections, but in this case, there are no more elections at the moment. The municipal elections are in 2023 and the presidential elections in 2025.
It is at the end of the electoral competitions that the government is reshuffled in order to give a signal, whereas today we find ourselves in a rather sluggish period that is not conducive to a reshuffle.
But the Head of State felt that his government team needed to be reformed to meet the needs of Ivorians.
As for the profile of the next Prime Minister, a technocrat, an executive of the former Rally of Republicans (RDR, founded by Alassane Ouattara and now the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace), perhaps a star of international finance or a diplomat. I think that the head of state has the embarrassment of choice with regard to the government coalition, resources are not lacking.
But it should be noted that the Constitution obliges the President of the Republic to inform the Parliament meeting in Congress of his decision to appoint the Vice-President. So, I think it is to this constitutional exercise that the Head of State will sacrifice to inform the Parliament (the National Assembly and the Senate on 19 April 2022 in Yamoussoukro).
Now he can go beyond that and make a much more comprehensive message to try to give meaning to his project. Even if the President has announced a new government for next week, Patrick Achi may be reappointed and someone else may be chosen as Vice-President.
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