A coalition of parties from the Ivorian opposition led by ex-prime minister Charles Konan Banny (photo), threatened, on 31 August, to stand in the way of the presidential election scheduled to take place on 25 October if the government does not start discussions on the composition of the national electoral commission, the voters’ lists and the insecurity which prevails in some regions.

The National Coalition for Change (Coalition Nationale pour le Changement - CNC), which gathers 13 political leaders, many of whom have declared their candidacy to the presidential, explained not having received answers to letters sent to Alassane Ouattara and his government to share with them their concerns about insecurity in some parts of the country, which could disrupt the good order of voting.

The CNC also reported its worries concerning what it sees as a preference for the party in power when it comes to voters’ lists and the composition of the national electoral commission. “The election cannot and should not take place in Côte d’Ivoire if we do not negotiate”, declared Jean-Jacques Bechio, spokesperson for CNC.

“If our demands are not met, there will be no election”, he hammered.

Against a broken opposition, President Alassane Ouattara is, according to observers, the big favourite of the October vote.

A former executive of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Ouattara can boast of a real economic success story since his rise to power. Under his leadership, Côte d’Ivoire, first world producer of cocoa, renewed with high growth, about 9% per annum between 2012 and 2014, supported by strong public investments.

The presidential election is a crucial rendezvous for Côte d’Ivoire, after a decade of political and military crisis which ended in five months of bloody post-electoral violence in 2010 and 2011.