· The 61-year-old Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly died suddenly after falling ill at a ministerial meeting
· Mr Gon Coulibaly was chosen as the ruling party’s candidate for the forthcoming presidential election in October
The 61-year-old Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly died suddenly after falling ill at a ministerial meeting. He had just returned from France after a two-months’ treatment for cardiac issues. He had received a heart transplant in 2012 and later went to Paris on 2 May for the insertion of a stent.
Mr Gon Coulibaly was chosen as the ruling party’s candidate for the forthcoming presidential election in October after Alassane Ouattara announced that he would not seek a third term in office. His sudden death has created huge uncertainty over the election. Ouattara is required to step down after finishing his second term in office. The former Prime Minister was among the favourites to win the presidential election. According to Political observers, Ouattara would have no choice but to run as a candidate because there is no plan B.
Ouattara’s party has been in power since last ten years. He came to power in 2017 when former President Gbagbo refused to give up power when he lost the elections in 2010 which sparked a civil war in which some 3,000 people perished. Coulibaly was appointed as the prime minister since January 2017 after serving as secretary-general of the presidency for six years.
