Source: World Wide Web
(Author: West Africa Research Center Team, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Author: Meng Yaqi (School of Public Administration), Priscilla Owusu-Ansah (Assistant, School of Public Administration, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, West Africa Research Center) [West Africa Talk] 2021, No. 1, 2021, 26th issue. Finishing: Tan Menghan, Contributed by: Zhao Shurong )
In past West African conversations, we learned about côte d'Ivoire's economy, agriculture, mining, tourism and rich history and culture, and today let us walk into the country's political system.
Côte d'Ivoire (French for "Ivory Coast") has a republican presidential system. The President is the Head of State and supreme commander of the armed forces, enjoys the highest executive powers, is elected by universal suffrage for a term of 5 years and may be re-elected once. The Prime Minister is the head of government and is appointed by the President. The Government exercises executive power and Parliament is given legislative powers. On 12 March 1983, Côte d'Ivoire decided to move its capital from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro, but to this day the government institutions and diplomatic missions remain in Abidjan, whereas the de facto administrative centre remains in Abidjan. Between 2002 and 2004, the first civil war broke out in Côte d'Ivoire and the second in March 2011, which took place after President Alassane Delamine Ouattara came to power and was re-elected in 2015.
(President of Côte d'Ivoire, Alasane Delamane Ouattara, Image: GERTY images.2020)
History of regime change in Côte d'Ivoire
The 1959 Constitution of Côte d'Ivoire provides for a five-year term of office, elected by universal suffrage. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and may sign and ratify relevant treaties and may submit proposals to a referendum or to the National Assembly. Under the Constitution, in the event of a vacancy in the presidency, the President of the National Assembly may assume the presidency and complete the remainder of the late President's term of office. The Cabinet is elected by the President and is accountable to the President. Some provisions of the Constitution have been proposed to be amended, such as extending the term of office to 7 years, establishing the Senate, and making the President of the Senate an interim successor to the President.
In October 1995, Henry Conan Bedier won the election. In December 1999, former Chief of the General Staff Robert Guy came to power after a military coup against former President Bedier, making himself President and Chairman of the National Salvation Committee. In October 2000, popular Front candidate Gbagbo was elected president. In September 2002, some Ivorian soldiers staged a mutiny, triggering a civil war, and the government forces and rebels formed a north-south confrontation. By the end of 2004, most of the fighting was over. In 2006, tensions were raging in the region, with many saying the United Nations and the French military were working to quell the civil war. In 2006, the Ivorian national football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup and united the two warring sides, and the national team is believed to have helped reach a temporary truce. After the civil war, the United Nations operation in Côte d'Ivoire began to calm down, but peacekeepers faced a difficult situation in which civilians and rebels outnumbered peacekeepers. A peace agreement on ending the war was signed on 4 March 2007. The Ivorian elections were held in October 2010 after six postponements. Two rounds of presidential elections were held in October and November 2010, with ouattara, the candidate of the opposition Union of Republicans, and Gbagbo, a candidate of the Popular Front, entering the second round. In early December, the Independent Electoral Commission of Côte d'Ivoire announced the election of Ouattara and the Constitutional Council declared Gbagbo the winner, and the two subsequently took the oath of office and formed their respective governments, creating a post-election crisis of "one country, two masters". The confrontation between the two sides eventually escalated into a nationwide armed conflict. The war resumed on February 24, 2011, as election results reached an impasse over election results, with new militants occupying Zouan-Hounien and clashing near Abobo, Yamoussoukro and Anyama. Gbagbo was arrested in April 2011, ending the post-election crisis. Ouattara was re-elected President in 2015. The new Constitution builds a new pattern
Côte d'Ivoire declared a constitutional referendum in 2016 that it had a constitutional referendum of 93. 42 per cent of the votes passed the new Constitution. The new Constitution maintains the republican presidential system in place in the country. The new Constitution removed restrictions on the nationality of the parents of presidential electors, decided to create the post of Vice-President, added the Senate and the Traditional Leaders and the Royal House, and expanded the powers of eco-Council.
The current President of Côte d'Ivoire is Ouattara. The new Constitution, adopted by referendum, stipulates that from 2020 onwards, the president and vice president will run jointly for one consecutive term for a five-year term. The President can submit bills to the legislature, he can also appoint heads of Government and members of the Cabinet, and the President has broad powers in the appointment of civil servants and the military. Legislatively, the Ivorian Parliament, which until November 2016 consisted only of the National Assembly, now operates a bicameral system, namely the National Assembly and the Senate, which is the country's highest legislative body for a five-year term. Two thirds of the senators of the Ivorian Senate are indirectly elected and one third are appointed by the President-elect for a five-year term. In the new National Assembly elections held in December 2016, the ruling coalition of 255 seats, consisting of the Union of Republicans, the Democratic Party and the Alliance of Forces of the Future, won 167 seats, 76 for independents, 6 for the Union for democracy and progress, and 3 each for the Union of Côte d'Ivoire and the Popular Front. In January 2017, the new National Assembly was formally established, and former Speaker Solo Kigbaffori Guillaume was re-elected. Senate elections were held in March 2018 and the Senate was formed in April 2018, with Jeanno Ahussou-Quadio, former Minister of Political Dialogue and Institutional Relations of the Presidency elected the first Senate President. In February 2019, Speaker of the National Assembly, Soro, resigned. In March, Amadou Sumahoro, former Minister of Political Affairs of the Presidential Office, was elected Speaker of the National Assembly. In terms of the judicial system, the judiciary in Côte d'Ivoire is mainly divided into the Court of First Instance, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Special Supreme Court. The supreme judicial body is the Supreme Court, which is composed of the Criminal Cases Trial Chamber, the Financial Cases Audit Chamber, the Judicial Case Review Chamber and the Civil Cases Chamber, the number of which is not limited by law. The High Court has the power to try government officials for serious offences. In terms of administrative divisions, Côte d'Ivoire is divided into three levels: regional, regional and provincial, with a total of 14 regions (2 autonomous areas and 12 ordinary areas), 30 regions and 95 provinces, each headed by a governor appointed by the central government. Thrive in a changing political landscape
2020 was a year of political instability in Côte d'Ivoire. In March, Ouattara said he would not seek a third term under the Constitution, but the sudden death of Ivorian Prime Minister Koulibaly in July created enormous uncertainty in the elections. A total of four candidates, including the current president, Ouattara, ran in the general election. Ouattara ran on behalf of the ruling Party Unity Party of the Union for Democracy and Peace in Houffay, with rivals former President and Democratic Party Chairman Bedie, former Prime Minister and Popular Front Chairman Engesan and independent candidate Bertan. PDD President Bedier and former President Gbagbo are contenders, especially after the International Criminal Court acquitted the latter. The presidential elections were held on 31 October, and according to Ivorian law, the presidential term is five years, directly elected by the voters, and the candidates who receive more than 50% of the vote win the election. If no one receives more than 50 per cent of the vote, the candidate with the top two votes advances to the second round of balloting. Polling stations throughout Côte d'Ivoire open at 8 p.m. local time and close at 6 p.m. According to data provided by the Independent Electoral Commission of Côte d'Ivoire, there are about 7.5 million registered voters in this election, and a total of 22,627 polling stations have been set up at home and abroad, and the Ivorian government has sent about 35,000 security personnel to polling stations throughout the country.
(People participate in presidential campaigns during the 2020 election, image source: Africareport.com.) 2020）
(On December 14, local time, Ivorian President Ouattara was sworn in in Abidjan, picture source: Reuters)
The Constitutional Court of Côte d'Ivoire confirmed on 9 November that Ouattara was elected President of Côte d'Ivoire for the third time by winning the presidential elections with 94.27% of the vote. Was this a free and fair election? Some outside analysts argue that this is not the case, which reminds people of the country's dictatorship. Opposition candidate Bedier called for a boycott of the vote, complaining that Ouattara's candidacy violated the two-term limit for the presidential election. After voting in the election, police fired tear gas at Bedier's doorstep and arrested his de profit aides. The challenge for The 2020 elections in Côte d'Ivoire stems from a conflict 30 years ago, when Ouattara and Bedier became the successors to the country's first president, Felix Hopiet Boyni. On December 14, Ouattara was sworn in in the country's economic capital, Abidjan, and expressed confidence in his new term. At this stage, he said, the Ivorian economy has continued to grow, the people's lives have improved and the number of poor people has decreased. Over the next five years, Côte d'Ivoire will give priority to the development of education and vocational training, promote youth employment, pay greater attention to women's empowerment and social welfare, and provide more opportunities for the population. The nationals of Côte d'Ivoire are witnessing national leaders moving forward to ensure future prosperity and stability, while seeking ways to resolve and transcend past disputes and differences.
Center Introduction:
Established in April 2017, the West Africa Research Center of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China is a special research center jointly established by the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, the University of Ghana, the University of Coastal Cape Ghana, the Institute of Administration and Management of Ghana, the University of Education of Winniba, and the Development University of Ghana. The center relies on the School of Public Administration, with Professor Zhao Shurong as the director of the center.
The establishment of the West Africa Research Center is an important measure for the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China to practice the "National Philosophy and Social Sciences Going Global Strategy", and it is also a useful exploration for the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China to build an international interdisciplinary research system and build a new high-end "think tank". Based on the advantages of discipline and international exchanges in the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, the center will focus on the practical problems and needs of the development of West African countries, build a high-level international academic exchange platform based on the cultivation of international student talents, release research topics, carry out joint research, and provide high-level think tank services for China and West African countries.
Objectives and tasks of the Centre:
1. The West Africa Research Center will unite the member units of the five universities in Ghana, the West African Alumni Association of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and the Ghana Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry to focus on building a "1+1+1" new model of China-Africa cooperation that integrates the talent training base for international students, the academic exchange platform and the West African research think tank, that is, to build a talent training base. The center will help expand the source of West African students coming to China, and enrich the multi-level international student training system of undergraduate, doctoral and master's degrees of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China; Carry out overseas cadre training, teacher training, customized ICT and engineering training, student summer practice projects in West Africa, etc., and strive to build a diversified and characteristic overseas talent training base integrating academic education, on-the-job training and practical training practice.
2. Build an academic and cultural exchange platform. By regularly holding international academic conferences such as the "West Africa Forum", the China-Africa Friendship and Academic And Cultural Exchange Month, and promoting the overseas landing exhibition project of the 3D platform for cultural resources and the China-West Africa international industry-university-research cooperation project, the center will be committed to building a China-Africa exchange and cooperation platform that integrates academic, humanities, science and technology, etc., to improve the influence of China's universities and enterprises in Africa and enhance the soft power of culture.
3. Establish a Think Tank for West African Studies. The Center will combine the disciplinary advantages and research characteristics of its member units, strengthen cooperation with West African think tank organizations such as the "Imani Policy Education Center" (Global Think Tank Ranking 113) and the "Institute of Statistics, Social and Economics" (Global Think Tank Ranking 164) in Ghana, strengthen joint research, publish and undertake research topics, provide policy advice for the Chinese government and West African countries, and develop into a West African think tank research center with certain influence.
Center URL: http://cwas.uestc.edu.cn/indexZh. html
WeChat public number: gh_bfde9ecc926a (public account name: West Africa Research Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China)
Center for West African Studies
The Center for West African Studies of University of Electronic Science andTechnology of China is established through the platform of Ministry ofEducation of People’s Republic of China and resources of our partnership andalumni in West Africa.
The establishment of Center for West African Studies is in line withChinese National Philosophy and Social Sciences “Going Global” Strategy withthe need to improve the image of UESTC in West African countries; toenhance China’s influence in West Africa; to strengthen China-Africacollaborations and to serve as a bridge for researchers and practitioners fromChina, West Africa and beyond to identify and meet the needs of West Africandevelopment.
Our mission and goals:
1. Serve as a training base for international students at UESTC which willpromote cooperation and exchanges between West African universities and UESTCin aspects such as talents training, laboratory building and studentinternship, training and exchanges.
2. Build a high-level international platform of academic & cultureexchanges, promote research work to enhance understanding in African affairsand Chinese culture in West Africa by encouraging cultural exchanges with WestAfrican universities and institutes.
3. Foster collaborative research efforts to carry out high qualitypolicy-relevant and development-oriented research and disseminate the resultsto help policy makers in West Africa, aiming to become a top rating Think Tankthat will support West African development socially and economically.
Website address: http://cwas.uestc.edu.cn/indexEn.html
Wechat official account No.: gh_bfde9ecc926a (Account Name: Center for West Africa Studies, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China)