Ivory Coast nominates 78-year-old President for Third Term

Ivory Coast’s governing party has formally selected President Alassane Ouattara to run for a third term in an October election, despite furious opposition allegations that the move violates the constitution.

Ouattara, who has governed since 2010, said in March he would not run again. But his preferred successor, then-Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, died in July, leading the party to ask Ouattara to reconsider. 

His opponents say the two-term limit in the constitution bars him from running again, but the 78-year-old and his supporters say a 2016 constitutional change clears the way for him to seek re-election.

Ouattara’s decision has triggered outrage among opposition and civil society groups, who labelled it a “coup” that risked triggering chaos.