Draft constitution published

The draft of a new constitution that requires any presidential candidate “to be of Ivoirian origin, born of a father or mother themselves of Ivoirian origin” was published on Friday in the official gazette of Cote d’Ivoire. Presidential hopefuls must never have relinquished their Ivoirian citizenship or adopted any other nationality, must have resided continuously in Cote d’Ivoire in the five years preceding the election and must have lived a total of at least 10 years in the country. Diplomats posted abroad, international civil servants and political exiles are exempted from the residency requirement, according to the draft, on which the population is to vote at a referendum on 23 July. The draft also bans political parties created on the basis of regional, ethnic, racial or religious affiliation, and outlaws job discrimination on grounds of sex or political, religious or philosophical beliefs. Elections will now be organised by an independent commission which, a political analyst told IRIN, is a new development since polls have hitherto been organised by the Ministry of the Interior. If passed, the draft constitution would likely disqualify a key opposition politician, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, from running for president. His candidacy has been the centre of political controversy in Cote d’Ivoire in recent years.