The word given by the President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire

The merits of the appointment of the Vice-President

Planete Paix has on the occasion of the celebration of its thirteen (13) years of activism on the theme: “Founding principles of the republic pledge of peace and stability for a sustainable development“, invited Professor Emeritus Oraga Obou to shed light on “the oath of the President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire“. The Professor returned during the conference, on the reasons which motivate the appointment of the vice-president in place of a ticket which allows to elect, during the presidential election, both the President and the vice- President. Note that this is one of the key points of the revision of the Constitution, the process of which is already underway before parliamentarians. According to the teacher and practitioner of law, who indicated before the conference in the name of scientific truth, if the two personalities at the top of the State are elected by universal suffrage, and that during the mandate, the tandem works well, then there is no problem. On the other hand, if the two men find it hard to tune their violins, large clouds may ensue which could well seize the normal functioning of the state machanism, he said, indicating that in the case we go from a duo to a duel. Worse, in the fight which could then be engaged between the two men, if it turns out that the number two is stronger, the probability of overthrowing the head of state cannot be excluded, supports the speaker. However, if we ignore the ticket, and stick to the appointment of the vice-president, with the support of the national assembly, it is very likely that such cases will be avoided, said the lecturer. In addition, during the ballot, if it turns out that there is a second round, the appointment of a vice-president could be a major issue for candidates. “It is a revival of democratic vitality,” he said. Because it would be an opportunity to forge alliances at the level of political parties, said the constitutional lawyer. It should be remembered that during his address on the state of the nation on March 05 before Congress, President Alassane Ouattara explained that the duo he forms with Kablan Duncun works well. So much so that he recommends that the vice-president be appointed. You should know that in 2016 after adoption of the new constitution, the Head of State reelected in 2015 appointed his vice-president on an exceptional basis, while the new constitution prescribes the vote for the president and the vice-president.

Pr. Ouraga Obou: ‘’ The Constitution can be revised at any time ’’

The former Chairman of the Committee of Experts for the Drafting of the Constitution of November 2016 gave a conference on the oath of the President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire.

Professor Ouraga Obou spoke on the advisability of the current constitutional revision, during a conference which he delivered yesterday at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University. The subject being closely linked to the Constitution, he said that for lawyers, the Constitution remains a living matter. “It has a soul and a spirit. It cannot be a dead matter. As such, it can face vicissitudes, with happy or unhappy moments,” he said at the outset. As a result, “when it has to settle certain unsuitable problems, it can therefore be revised at any time, the very day after its adoption“, he said, while ensuring that the fundamental law has within it own review procedures. In addition, in his capacity as President at the head of the deceased committee which drafted the 2016 Constitution, he claimed to have notified President Alassane Ouattara of the technical details which deserve correction. “I think he took it into account,” said Ouraga Obou, who argued that the head of state agreed to settle these details before yielding the presidential chair. Regarding the mode of review, the speaker said there are two tracks. The first is the people’s way, otherwise the referendum. “But it is too expensive,” he said. The second is that the President can seize the Parliament to carry out the revision, he maintained.

“Nothing prevents it”

On the subject of the conference itself, the lawyer said that “swearing in is the word given“. He repeated it many times, thereby specifying that, if during his mandate the Head of State does not respect his oath, he exposes himself to the rigor of the law “Let the people withdraw me his confidence and that I undergo the rigor of the laws, if I betray my oath “, recalled the lawyer. As such, “the President acts according to the constitution, emanation of the people. He thus takes the official commitment to comply with his duties towards the people” Furthermore, “what is important is that the Head of State must report to the people of Cote d’Ivoire, “said the lawyer. For Ouraga Obou, the Ivorian President concentrates enormous powers in his hand. These powers are so exorbitant that he did not hesitate to describe the President as omnipotent “In the days of the single party, he was almost the alpha and the omega, a dreaded and fearsome character“, he said. From a historical point of view, the lecturer also indicated that the taking of an oath was not enshrined in the fundamental law of 1960. Houphouët Boigny never took an oath,” he recalled. Worse, on his death in 1993, there was a real problem for Henri Konan Bédié, when he was to succeed him, in accordance with article 11 of this Constitution.

He therefore explains that it is because the taking of the oath was not enshrined in the constitution in force at that time that the former President of the National Assembly, at the time of access to the supreme magistracy, after the death of the father of the nation, went directly to the RTI to ask the Ivorians to “place themselves at his disposal“. For the speaker, no other way was open to Henri Konan Bédié

During the conference, Ouraga Obou also spoke on current hot topics. Among other things, the address on the State of the Nation made by the Head of State on March 5, in front of the parliamentarians gathered in Congress, at Félix Houphouët – Boigny Foundation in Yamoussoukro. “I was delighted when he announced that he no longer wants to run for another term,” he said.

He added that when he chaired the committee of experts for drafting the Constitution, the President had said that he would no longer be a candidate.

Today, the news proves him right. According to Ouraga Obou, President Alassane Ouattara is a straightforeward and we must respect the men who keep their words and congratulate them. And yet, he added, nothing prevents him from being a candidate. “When you read the Constituent news, is there anything that prohibits him from being candidate ?“, He asked himself, before answering clearly that “nothing prevents it”!

The conference, which was supported by US Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire and Konrad-Adenaeur Stifung, recorded the presence of political actors, heads of civil society organizations, State authorities, Representatives of international institutions etc. The thirteen years of activism of Planete Paix were placed under the effective Presidency of the President of the National Council for Human Rights and benefited from the technical support of the State of Cote d’Ivoire, through the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Youth Promotion and Youth Employment, the State Secretariat in charge of Civic Service, the High Authority for Good Governance.