Government and Politics of Cote d'Ivoire

Government Type

republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960

Administrative Divisions

19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra, Denguele, Dix-Huit Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs, Lagunes, Marahoue, Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe, Savanes, Sud-Bandama, Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou, Zanzan

Legal System

based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Citizenship

Citizenship by birth: No Citizenship by descent only: At least one parent must be a citizen of Cote d'Ivoire Dual citizenship recognized: No Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Executive Branch

chief of state: President Alassane OUATTARA (since 11 April 2011; reelected 31 October 2020) head of government: Prime Minister Robert MAMBE (since 2024); note: the prime minister is appointed by the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 31 October 2020 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Alassane OUATTARA reelected president; percent of vote - Alassane OUATTARA 94.3%, Kouadio Konan BERTIN 1.99%, other 3.71%; note: the main opposition parties boycotted the 2020 election

Legislative Branch

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on 14 January 2001 (next to be held by 31 October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2 note: a Senate is scheduled to be created in the next full election in 2006

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: Judicial Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number of members

Political Parties

Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Eg Theodore MEL]; Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally or PDCI-RDA [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace or UDPCI [Paul Akoto YAO]; over 20 smaller parties

Head of State

President Laurent GBAGBO

Head of Government

Prime Minister Guillaume SORO

Cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - under the current power-sharing agreement the prime minister and the president share the authority to appoint ministers

Elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (elections were to be held in 2008 but have been repeatedly postponed by the government; the UN Security Council has extended the government’s mandate); prime minister appointed by the president

Election Results

Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote - Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other 2.2%

Constitution

3 November 1960; has been amended numerous times, most recently 27 July 1998

Independence

7 August 1960 (from France)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 7 August (1960)

International Organization Participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

chief of mission: Ambassador Daouda DIABATE chancery: 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300 FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS embassy: Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan mailing address: B. P. 1866, Abidjan 01 telephone: [225] 20 21 09 79 FAX: [225] 20 22 32 59

Capital City

Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative capital); note - although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative capital as well as the officially designated economic capital; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan

Location

6 49 N, 5 16 W

Time Difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

History

Yamoussoukro is named after Queen YAMOUSSOU, who ruled in the village of N'Gokro in 1929 at the time of French colonization; the village was renamed Yamoussoukro, the suffix "-kro" meaning "town" in the native Baoule language; Abidjan's name supposedly comes from a misunderstanding; tradition states that an old man carrying branches met a European explorer who asked for the name of the nearest village; the man, not understanding and terrified by this unexpected encounter, fled shouting "min-chan m’bidjan," which in the Ebrie language means: "I return from cutting leaves"; the explorer, thinking that his question had been answered, recorded the name of the locale as Abidjan; a different version has the first colonists asking native women the name of the place and getting a similar response

Embassy Abidjan Address: 01 B.P. 1712 Abidjan 01 Côte d’Ivoire. Telephone: 225-22-49-40-00 Emergency after-hours telephone: 225-22-49-44-50 Facsimile: 225-22-49-42-02 Email: AbjAmcit@state.gov

Military Branches

Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire (Force Republiques de Cote d'Ivoire, FRCI): Army, Navy, Cote d'Ivoire Air Force (Force Aerienne de la Cote d'Ivoire) Note: FRCI is the former Armed Forces of the New Forces (FAFN)

Service Age and Obligation

18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary male and female military service; conscription is not enforced; voluntary recruitment of former rebels into the new national army is restricted to ages 22-29