The catch in Ivory Coast’s announcement is what it leaves out. The government has abolished the body that ran its elections, and it has not said what comes next.
Government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly, who is also communications minister, told a news conference after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting that the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) was gone. The decision followed repeated disputes over the commission’s independence and its conduct of elections. “In view of the reservations expressed about this institution as well as the criticism it has faced, the Council of Ministers has decided to dissolve it,” he said.
Asked about a successor, Coulibaly offered no structure and no timeline. Talks inside government will settle it, he said. “I cannot tell you at this stage what this new mechanism will be, which will certainly be discussed and put in place at the government level.” He said the aim is to “ensure in a lasting way the organisation of peaceful elections by creating greater trust and reassuring all Ivorians and the political class.”
The complaint against the CEI
Opposition parties have said for years that the commission’s membership leaned toward the ruling coalition. Authorities have previously rejected that charge.
The CEI was set up in October 2001 and has handled every election since military rule ended. Few disputes have bypassed it. The 2010 presidential vote is the starkest case: the contested outcome led to months of deadly violence.
Timing
The last presidential election was held in October 2025. President Alassane Ouattara took a fourth term with nearly 90% of the vote. Several prominent opposition figures had been barred from running, and opposition and civil society groups questioned how inclusive the process was.
What the replacement will look like, Coulibaly did not say on Wednesday.
Sources
- Ivory Coast dissolves electoral body amid criticism
- Ivory Coast dissolves electoral commission after criticism | CNBC Africa
