WHEN Côte d’Ivoire votes in the presidential election on 31 October, the fate of the nation will be at stake. Political tensions in the country are running high, there have been instances of deadly pre-election violence, and mistrust is rising.
Ivorians who go to the polls will be faced with a choice of just two candidates.
The first is President Alassane Ouattara of the ruling Rassemblement des Houphouetistes pour le Dévelopement et la Paix (RHDP). The 78-year-old has been in power since the contentious 2010 elections and is running for a third term. Many believe this is unconstitutional given the country’s two-term limit, but the president’s supporters argue that the clock was reset when a new constitution was approved.
Ouattara’s only opponent still in the race is the relative unknown independent Kouadio Konan Bertin. The election is perhaps more notable, however, for who is not running.
Earlier this year, 44
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