"Amadou, I love you too," says Ouattara at memorial for late prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly
Record ID:
1562612
"Amadou, I love you too," says Ouattara at memorial for late prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly
- Title: "Amadou, I love you too," says Ouattara at memorial for late prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly
- Date: 16th July 2020
- Summary: SUPPORTER WITH POSTER COULIBALY
- Embargoed: 30th July 2020 09:11
- Keywords: Alassane Ouattara Ivory Coast elections memorial for Amadou Gon Coulibaly
- Location: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- City: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002CN27EQF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Thousands of Ivory Coast's ruling party, RHDP supporters flocked to Abidjan's main sports arena on Wednesday (July 15) to attend a memorial for late Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, before his body was flown back to his home town of Korhogo to be buried.
Supporters, some of whom arrived early in the morning to make sure they could attend the event, only had praise for the late statesman and hoped the next in line will be able to work as hard.
"We really lost a great man, it's really heart breaking, we lost a great man, we are going to miss him a lot, we don't know what to expect, we are really, I have no words," said Aboudramane Emma.
"We think there are competent and valiant men that mister Ouattara has trained because he calls Gon Coulibaly my son, he has several. I think the succession will be worthy because Ivory Coast has competent men, men that can work as hard as Gon Coulibaly, they will make sure to succeed him," added Fabrice Konan
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara bid an emotional farewell to his 'son'.
"To this great statesman, this son who told me, despite his shyness and his modesty, in front of the entire nation upon his return to Ivory Coast, which he feared. 'Big brother President, I love you.' I would like to finish by saying, Amadou I love you too," Ouattara said in front of thousands of supporters.
The death last week of Gon Coulibaly, hand-picked by Ouattara to run in October's presidential election, has left the ruling party scrambling to find a replacement candidate, a process likely to reveal internal divisions, analysts say.
Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan resigned on Monday (July 13) further unsettling the political outlook.
Ouattara picked Gon Coulibaly in March to represent the RHDP party in the Oct. 31 poll after announcing he would not stand for a third term.
Ouattara came to power in 2011 following an election the previous year that sparked a brief civil war when the defeated incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to concede.
Despite several years of relative peace, ethnic and regional rivalries linger, and this year's election is seen as test of stability for Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer and one of West Africa's largest economies.
Following Gon Coulibaly's death, Ouattara's RHDP party said last week that it may ask the president to rethink his decision not to seek another term.
This could help to unify the party but would draw fierce criticism from Ouattara's opponents, who say the constitution does not allow him to run again. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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