The October 2016 constitutional referendum in Côte d’Ivoire

International audienceImmediately after his re-election as president of Côte d’Ivoire on 25 October 2015, Alassane Ouattara confirmed that he wished to carry out a major reform to the constitution, which would be put to a referendum.This came as no surprise, as the preceding constitution rapidly adopted on General Gueï’s initiative in July 2000 contained article 35, the notorious article which had played a significant part in unleashing the rebellion in 2002, as it stipulated that only candidates whose mother and father were both of Ivorian origin could stand for election as president. It therefore excluded de facto Alassane Ouattara’s bid, and it took international mediation carried out by South African politician Thabo Mbeki in the April 2005 Pretoria Agreement to get around the regulation to allow Ouattara, as the leader of the main opposition party, to contest Laurent Gbagbo in the 2010 election. As the article was still included in the constitution, but was in contravention of a number of international agreements to which Côte d’Ivoire was signatory, it was necessary to change it, especially as there were no longer any politicians who wished to see it retained