ANC NEC meeting to focus on global, domestic issues
The African National Congress (ANC) will hold its much anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg this morning.
Alassane Ouattara will run for a fourth term as president of Ivory Coast, thanks largely to constitutional changes he implemented himself in 2016 which reset term limits. Nine years ago, he justified the move citing the country's ongoing "security, economic and monetary challenges," which required "experienced leadership." Ouattara also previously said on several occasions that he wanted to step down from office.
"The security argument in the West African sub-region is well founded," said Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg, chair of the faculty of African politics and development policy at the University of Bayreuth.
"However, the security argument is not necessarily a good argument for extending the mandate," he told DW.
Ouattara's ruling party, the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), has again nominated him for the top job. The 83-year-old former banker has led Ivory Coast since 2011, and claimed in a video message on his X account that both the constitution and his health allow him to serve another term. Explaining his decision to break his earlier promise not to run again, he said, "Duty sometimes takes precedence over a promise made in good faith."
An expected surprise
Lawyer and analyst Geoffroy Kouao told DW: "It must be acknowledged that this outcome is not surprising, considering the party's activists unanimously endorsed Ouattara as the RHDP candidate for the 2025 presidential election. Although it still caught many people off guard."
In June, during the RHDP's second congress, party members unanimously endorsed a new candidacy for Ouattara, who also serves as the party's president. According to Sekou Dao of the RHDP political council, Ouattara's announcement is simply a positive response to the unified request from his political base.
"I always expected President Ouattara to run again," Dao explained. "With only three months remaining before such a crucial election, it would be unthinkable to select a different candidate now. Doing so would even be disrespectful to the party's dedicated activists."
