Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara filed his candidacy on Tuesday at the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) for the presidential election scheduled for Oct. 25.
Ouattara was welcomed by thousands of supporters clad in party colors, who gathered outside the CEI headquarters in the capital, Abidjan. They held banners and placards, singing praises of their leader.
“I have come to submit my candidacy for the presidential election, an act I am taking in response to the call of my party and many Ivorians who have expressed the wish for us to continue together on the path we have set,” said Ouattara.
“I express the hope that this election will take place in peace and serenity, for the strengthening of our democracy and the stability of our nation,” he added.
Aged 83, Ouattara was first elected as the country’s president in 2010 for a five-year term.
He is vying for another re-election, while the main opposition leaders, notably Tidjane Thiam and Laurent Gbagbo, have been removed from the electoral list by court decisions.
With less than 24 hours before the deadline for submitting candidacies, the CEI has received about 40 applications, including those of former First Lady Simone Gbagbo and former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan.
The candidacy files submitted to the CEI must be forwarded to the Constitutional Council for validation of the final list of candidates for the presidential election. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
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