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Cote d’Ivoire’s Supreme Court has ruled that former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara is ineligible to stand in parliamentary elections to be held on 10 December, state media reported on Friday.
Diplomatic and media sources said small groups of people protested against the ruling by erecting barricades in parts of Abidjan on Friday amid fears of further protests.
‘Fraternite Matin’ daily said the court ruled that a certificate of nationality issued to Ouattara had not been delivered according to proper legal procedure and thus was invalid.
The court’s ruling came in reaction to objections made by private citizens to Ouattara’s candidacy, which had been approved by the national electoral commission. The court considered about 60 petitions contesting his eligibility along with many more filed against various other candidates.
The Supreme Court had also deemed Ouattara ineligible to run for president on 22 October on similar grounds.
Presidential candidates had to prove that both their parents were native Ivorians and that they had never taken up another nationality. Nationality requirements for parliamentary hopefuls are less stringent: they just have to prove that they are Ivoirian citizens.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
