IVORY COAST: AFRICA'S OLDEST RULER, HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY, ACCEPTS PARTY NOMINATION FOR FOURTH TERM DURING HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS.

Record ID: 182898

  • Title: IVORY COAST: AFRICA'S OLDEST RULER, HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY, ACCEPTS PARTY NOMINATION FOR FOURTH TERM DURING HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS.
  • Date: 21st October 1975
  • Summary: 1. MV PAN down exterior Catholic church. 0.03 2. MV PAN church goers outside. 0.11 3. MV & CU dancers (2 shots). 0.19 4. MV Zoom into CU african reading newspaper with birthday greeting headline. 0.24 5. MC CU President Houphouet-Boigny (right) talking to colleague. 0.30 6. MV Exterior Mosque. 0.37 7. MCU People greeting each other. 0.43 8. BV moslems entering Mosque. 0.48 9. MV Moslems at prayer (3 shots). 1.00 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 5th November 1975 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: IVORY COST
  • Country: Ivory Coast
  • Reuters ID: LVA7XFQ9AX861R921G72WZWK538J
  • Story Text: Africa's oldest ruler, Ivory Coast head of state, Felix Houphouet-Boigny accepted his party's invitation to run for a fourth Presidential term, during celebrations on Saturday (18 October) to mark his 70th birthday in the capital of Abidjan.

    Churches and mosques were packed as prayers of congratulation were offered. Messages of goodwill were also received from many African nations including: Algeria, the Central African Republic, the Congo, Morocco, Senegal and Togo. Headlines in Newspapers proclaimed a long life for the President.

    The announcement of the President's nomination as candidate for another term followed his defence of the policy of talking to the South African Government at the sixth Congress of the ruling Ivory Coast Democratic Party.

    The Ivory Coast achieved independence for France in 1960 and President Houphouet and his Democratic Party have remained in power ever since.

    The President is now very much the elder statesman and politically his power is unchallenged -- although -- despite his nomination for a fourth Presidential term -- there is speculation about his succession because of occasional periods of poor health.

    The relative security of the Government has been assured by massive French technical assistance and also by an economic growth rate without parallel in west Africa -- eight per cent per year in Gross National Product since independence.

    Despite President Houphouet's strong position there has previously been some political unrest. Plots against the government has been uncovered and there were riots in Abidjan in 1969.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register