Ivory Coast president ‘not in a rush’ to decide on third term

Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara has said he is “not in a rush” to decide whether he will run for a third term in October’s elections. 

The President has previously indicated that he will only run a third time if leaders of the other main parties, who are also all political veterans, do the same. 

Speaking to the BBC at the recent Africa summit in London, Mr Ouattara said “I have until the month of July to make a decision … there is no reason for me to rush”. 

In the same interview Mr Ouattara denied allegations that the recent arrest warrant against his former ally, Guillaume Soro is related to the upcoming election. He dismissed the claims as “complete nonsense” and insisted that the matter was solely one for the courts. 

He also defended the decision by the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which includes Ivory Coast, to rename its regional currency from the CFA franc to the eco. 

The move has been criticised by several countries, including Nigeria, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Their leaders have called for a summit of Ecowas - the West African regional bloc of 15 nations - to discuss the matter. 

Photo credit: Felipe Trueba | Pool via Getty Images