Cote d'Ivoire's president to run in Nov. 29 elections
Cote d'Ivoire's president to run in Nov. 29 elections
14:31, October 09, 2009 
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Cote d'Ivoire's President Laurent Gbagbo will be a candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections set for Nov. 29, his wife Simone Gbagbo announced on Wednesday.
"Cote d'Ivoire must hold elections to choose the president of the Republic who will lead the country for the next five years. About 10 political parties and many more people have wished that this person is President Gbagbo. The answer is out, the president accepts to be a candidate, he says that he is ready to go on the campaign trail," declared the first lady, who is also the vice-president of the presidential parliamentary group, the ruling Popular Ivorian Front (PIF).
She was unveiling Gbagbo's candidacy at a rally in Anyama, an area not far away from Abidjan.
People have been guessing about the candidature of President Gbagbo who has yet to come up with a director or a campaign team.
"The president accepts to be a presidential candidate and I have come to take note of your observations, your advice and seek your blessings," she said to the Anyama people.
The candidates have until Oct. 16 to file their nomination papers before the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI).
The constitutional mandate of Gbagbo, elected in 2000, expired in 2005, but elections have never taken place ever since amid repeated postponements caused by differences between the government and the former rebel New Forces.
The country last put off the scheduled vote on Nov. 30, 2008, citing the stalled process for voter identification and registration.
With the provisional electoral list eventually published this week, the Nov. 29 elections are highly expected by the world to end years of division in the West African country following an attempted in September 2002, which triggered a year-long civil war.
The rival parties signed a peace agreement in March 2007 which opened the way for the reunification of the country and the organization of elections.
Up to 10 politicians have announced their candidacy including former president Henri Konan Bedie and ex-prime minister Alassane Ouattara.
Source: Xinhua
"Cote d'Ivoire must hold elections to choose the president of the Republic who will lead the country for the next five years. About 10 political parties and many more people have wished that this person is President Gbagbo. The answer is out, the president accepts to be a candidate, he says that he is ready to go on the campaign trail," declared the first lady, who is also the vice-president of the presidential parliamentary group, the ruling Popular Ivorian Front (PIF).
She was unveiling Gbagbo's candidacy at a rally in Anyama, an area not far away from Abidjan.
People have been guessing about the candidature of President Gbagbo who has yet to come up with a director or a campaign team.
"The president accepts to be a presidential candidate and I have come to take note of your observations, your advice and seek your blessings," she said to the Anyama people.
The candidates have until Oct. 16 to file their nomination papers before the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI).
The constitutional mandate of Gbagbo, elected in 2000, expired in 2005, but elections have never taken place ever since amid repeated postponements caused by differences between the government and the former rebel New Forces.
The country last put off the scheduled vote on Nov. 30, 2008, citing the stalled process for voter identification and registration.
With the provisional electoral list eventually published this week, the Nov. 29 elections are highly expected by the world to end years of division in the West African country following an attempted in September 2002, which triggered a year-long civil war.
The rival parties signed a peace agreement in March 2007 which opened the way for the reunification of the country and the organization of elections.
Up to 10 politicians have announced their candidacy including former president Henri Konan Bedie and ex-prime minister Alassane Ouattara.
Source: Xinhua
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