The women of Ivory Coast’s ruling ‘Rassemblement des Houphouetistes pour la Democratie et la Paix (Rhdp) have protested comments attributed to former First Lady Mrs. Simone Gbagbo, describing the candidacy of incumbent president Alassane Ouattara in the October 31, 2020 presidential election as “unconstitutional”.
The statement denouncing Mrs Gbagbo’s remarks was read out on Wednesday by Mrs. Josephine Kouassi.
“The women of the Rhdp are protesting against the defamatory and irresponsible remarks by Mrs. Simone Gbagbo” said Mrs. Kouassi, the regional leader of the RHDP women’s wing in South Comoe district.
Mrs. Gbagbo’s statement, “is inconsistent with the political and legal reality” of Cote d’Ivoire, Mrs. Josephine Kouassi told the RHDP’s female executives, elected officials and activists of the ruling party.
Mrs. Kouassi instead claimed Mr. Alassane Ouattara “is indeed eligible under the constitution of Cote d’Ivoire promulgated on November 8, 2016, which establishes the Third Republic and our country”.
“It is therefore by no means a third term, but the first term of the third Republic of Cote d’Ivoire,” she added.
According to the women of Ouattara’s party, it is also the same Ivorian law that allows former President Henri Konan Bedie to run for president at the age of 86, contrary to the provisions of the constitution of the Second Republic, which limited the age of presidential contenders to 75 years.
Mr. Bedie is a candidate for the October 31, 2020 presidential election “in the name of the non-retroactivity of any law,” she indicated, suggesting that in any case the Constitutional Council has the power to decide on the eligibility of a candidate.
“If Mrs. Simone Gbagbo continues to fuel the flame of hatred and division that could lead to injuries and deaths, the women of the RHDP will be forced to ask the President of the Republic not to intervene anymore and to leave the process of her transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) ”, she warned.
Mrs. Kouassi said this will leave Mrs. Gbagbo to answer for her acts before the ICC, which has been requesting her transfer since 2013.
According to her, the women of the RHDP are in favor of “a peaceful presidential election with a dynamic culture” for peace in Cote d’Ivoire.
She said the women’s wing of the party have vowed to give Mr. Ouattara, “a resounding and final victory in the first round of the upcoming presidential election.”
Former First Lady, Simone Gbagbo, who recently recovered from coronavirus has resumed her political activities, claiming that President Ouattara is ineligible under the provisions of the constitution to run for another term.
She said Ouattara’s candidacy is unconstitutional.
AP/ls/fss/as/APA