Ivory Coast dissolves electoral commission after opposition criticism

After sustained criticism from the country’s opposition, Ivory Coast says it will dissolve the authority responsible for organising elections.

The cabinet decision follows the October presidential vote that saw Alessane Ouattara reelected to a fourth term, while leading opposition figures were barred from standing.

“In view of the reservations expressed about this institution [the Independent Electoral Commission, or CEI], as well as the criticism it has faced, the Council of Ministers has decided to dissolve it,” said government spokesperson and Communications Minister Amadou Coulibaly.

“I cannot tell you at this stage what this new mechanism will be, which will certainly be discussed and put in place at the government level,” he said.

“The aim,” he said, was “to ensure, in a lasting way, the organisation of peaceful elections by creating greater trust and reassuring all Ivorians and the political class.”

Former prime minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan, who was barred from standing last year, called on the government to “open a dialogue with political and civil society organisations to rebuild the electoral system, in the name of peace and stability.”

The opposition has regularly and strongly denounced the lack of independence of the electoral commission, which is tasked with organising polls, ensuring the strict application of the electoral code and overseeing the electoral roll.

A 2016 change to the constitution saw Ouattara stand for a controversial third term in a vote that was largely boycotted by the opposition.