Ivory Coast mulls draft constitution on who can be president

Published October 05, 2016

Ivory Coast lawmakers are set to review a draft constitution that would alter a divisive clause determining who is eligible to be president.

President Alassane Ouattara was expected to present the draft to the National Assembly on Wednesday. A referendum is planned for late October.

Before he won election in 2010, Ouattara was barred from running for the office because of claims he was a foreigner. He has always said he was eligible, and he vowed to change the constitution during his campaign for re-election last year.

His 2010 election win sparked months of violence that claimed more than 3,000 lives.

Under current rules, both parents of presidential candidates must be Ivorian. The new draft says candidates must claim Ivorian nationality exclusively and have an Ivorian father or Ivorian mother.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/ivory-coast-mulls-draft-constitution-on-who-can-be-president