Cote d’Ivoire constitutional court on Wednesday cleared 10 candidates out 33 aspirants to contest next month’s presidential election including incumbent candidate, Alassane Ouattara.
Other candidates adjudged by the court to have met the criteria to contest the presidential election include Pascal Affi N’Guessan, leader of the Ivorian Popular Front (IPF), the country’s biggest opposition party which is the party of former president Laurent Gbagbo.
Also cleared were former Prime Minister, Charles Konan Banny and the former president of the national assembly Mamadou Koulibaly along with two women. In all, 33 candidates registered with the independent electoral commission.
The October 25 election is seen as an important step in Cote d’Ivoire’s recovery from civil war. The country is the world’s top producer of cocoa and the largest economy in Francophone West Africa.
Former president, Gbagbo is standing trial at the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity over his role in waging war rather than relinquishing power after losing a run-off election to Ouattara in 2010. Around 3,000 people reportedly died during the political crisis.
By Olisemeka Obeche
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