Government of Côte d'Ivoire
Presidential/parliamentary democracy until December 1999, when a coup installed a military dictatorship. Presidential elections are held every five years
The current president is Laurent Gbagbo, elected in 2000
The current prime minister is Seydou Diarra, elected 2003
History of Government
The country gained its independence on Aug. 7, 1960. Felix Houphouët-Boigny served as president from then until his death in 1993. Opposition protest forced him to hold the first contested presidential election in Oct. 1990, which he won with 81% of the vote.
President Henri Konan Bédié met opposition to a constitutional revision enhancing his powers in September of 1998. He was overthrown in a military coup in December 1999, and Gen. Robert Guei assumed control of the country.
A draft constitution was overwhelmingly approved in July 2000. However, the document excluded 40% of the countries population from running for president by stating only those who were .pure Ivoirian. could run. Guei decided to run for president in October 2000 elections against a civilian opposition candidate, Laurent Gbagbo. The elections were supposedly very corrupt. Public opinion turned against Guei, exiling him from the country, and Gbagbo assumed the presidency.
Another coup was attempted on September 19, 2002. Guei and Interior Minister Doudou were killed in fighting between government soldiers and the rebels. Fighting continued, even after a French-brokered peace accord was signed on January 25, 2003, calling for the government to share power with the rebels, yet rioting continued. The war was finally declared officially over in July. 4,000 UN-sponsored French peacekeeping troops were assigned. Pro-government and rebel militias remain armed, and in 2004, Northern and Muslim rebels still controlled half the country.
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