Ouattara keeps tight grip on power after cabinet reshuffle

IVORY Coast’s 80-year-old president, Alassane Ouattara, has given no sign of wanting to hand over the reins following a closely scrutinised cabinet reshuffle and the appointment of a deputy.

Analysts have been ruminating over last week’s big announcement for signs of Ouattara’s plans – a crucial issue in a country that carries the scars of political turbulence.

Nearly two years ago, as elections loomed, Ouattara signalled he would retire from politics after spending 10 years at the helm. But those plans were thrown into reverse when his anointed successor, then prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, suddenly died.

In response, Ouattara dusted off a bid for a third presidential term, sparking bitter criticism that he was circumventing term limits under the constitution. Scores died in electionrelated violence. But last week’s appointments suggest Ouattara wants to retain a close grip on power and quash speculation that he is grooming a successor, analysts say.

He named a little-known technocrat, regional central banker Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, 73, as vice-president, filling a seat that had been vacant for nearly two years. And he reappointed Prime Minister Patrick Achi to head a reshuffled cabinet that is also being streamlined under an economy drive.

“He’s not signalling that he’s going to hand over to a successor, hand over to a new generation,” said political analyst Rodrigue Kone.

The West African state, a major producer of coffee and cocoa, has been ruled by the same generation of politicians for decades. Ouattara came to power in 2011 after a brief but bloody conflict sparked by the refusal of his then-rival, Laurent Gbagbo, to accept election defeat. Several thousand people died and the country split along north-south lines. This division may have a bearing on Ouattara’s appointments. The new vice-president hails from the north, while the returning prime minister has his political bastion in the south. Ouattara has also spoken of other contenders for succession. Several loyal Ouattara figures have returned to the reshuffled government.

Later this year, a bill will be put to the National Assembly to limit the maximum age for presidential candidates to 75. By the time of the next elections in 2025, Ouattara will be 83. The two other rivals of his generation, former presidents Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bedie, will be 80 and 91 respectively. All three would be disqualified from running if the law is passed.