Côte d’Ivoire's oldest political party began its four-day convention on October 3, 2013.
The ‘Parti démocratique de Côte d’Ivoire,’ PDCI party of Côte d’Ivoire’s independence leader, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, yesterday October 3, 2013 began its 12th convention at the end of which a new chairman will be elected, Radio France Internationale, RFI reported.
Four candidates are expected to contest the position of incumbent leader and former Head of State, Henri Konan Bédié, at the four-day gathering. PDCI’s Secretary General, Alphonse Djédjé Mady, party youth leader, Bertin Konan Kouadio and a former Secretary General in the Presidency, Kouassi Yao, say Bédié, 79 has long passed the age limit for the position fixed at 75 years by the party’s bylaws. Bédié has been leading the party for 20 years now.
The party’s National Executive Council, NEC that met on Wednesday, October 2, 2013 to seek a consensus candidacy for Konan Bédié, requested the other three hopefuls to withdraw. Reports however say the youngest of the would-be candidates, Bertin Konan Kouadio, rejected the demand but Alphonse Djédjé Mady is said to have remained silent on his stance. Meanwhile, Kouassi Yao is said to be willing to withdraw, provided that Kouadio and Mady do the same.
On the eve of the opening of the convention, a court dismissed the petition of 18 PDCI members who tried to get it postponed. The President of the Plateau, Abidjan Magistrate’s Court, Souleymane Ahmed Coulibaly, said the applicants were not qualified to do so as they were not officials of the party, the Diaspora Côte d'Ivoire website said. Among the grievances by the applicants was the high levy of FCFA 18 million for each party chairmanship hopeful. NEC fixed the amount to help finance the convention.
At stake for the over 4,000 delegates is the 2015 presidential election. Thus, the focus on the new challenges facing the PDCI in coalition with the Rally of the Republicans, RDR party of President Alassane Dramane Ouattara. Henri Konan Bédié has been at the centre of Côte d’Ivoire’s politics for decades having also served as ambassador, Minister of Finance and Parliament Speaker. He succeeded Felix Houphouët Boigny in 1993 when the old independence leader passed away and also took over the leadership of the PDCI.
