Cote d’Ivoire President, Alassane Ouattara, on Monday submitted his application to run for a third term after more protests by opponents.
The opposition says the constitution’s two-term limit
forbids him to contest the October election.
Over the weekend, several shops and a timber truck were
torched during ethnic violence between Ouattara supporters and opposition in
the southern city of Divo, a cocoa-growing hub, according to images shared on
social media.
It is not yet clear what casualties the latest unrest may
have caused.
Five people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in
clashes between protesters and police since Ouattara, who has been in office since
2011, announced his re-election bid earlier this month.
Tensions were running high even before his decision to run
again.
The election is seen as the greatest test yet of the tenuous
stability achieved since a brief conflict killed about 3,000 people following
his first election win in 2010.
“I have a vision for our country. A vision of stability, a
vision of security, a vision of peace for all Ivorians,” Ouattara said outside
the Independent Election Commission (CEI) in Abidjan where he filed his application.
The West African State’s constitutional court will make the
ultimate ruling on Ouattara’s candidacy.
His opponents say the two-term limit in the constitution
bars him from running again, but he has said his first two mandates do not
count under the new constitution adopted in 2016
Regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), said it was extremely concerned about the latest clashes, calling in
a statement for “all Ivorian political actors to avoid violence and turn to dialogue.”
On Sunday, opposition leader Guillaume Soro called on all
opposition parties to unite against Ouattara “in the spirit of a collective
fight.”
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