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Cote d'lvoire: Model of Stability
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17409 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
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1 / 1990 |
866 Words |
| Author
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Desmond Mc Foran
Desmond McForan is an international economic and political
affairs consultant who specializes in Africa. |
The Ivory Coast is West Africa's most stable and prosperous state, and President Felix Houphouet-Boigny is one of Africa's most prosperous rulers. Houphouet-Boigny has ruled Cote d'Ivoire since its independence in 1960 and by inviting his opponents into dialogues, sometimes involving literally thousands of people, he has managed to blunt his opposition. The process has deep roots in African tradition and has been regarded by well-informed commentators as providing a watershed in the country's political life. Often, these dialogues air issues that may dominate discussions over the next few years.
Nonetheless, the Cote d'Ivoire is a one-party state dominated by the Parti democratique de la Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI), of which the president remains indefinitely the unquestioned leader. Since 1980, multicandidate elections have been conducted; each constituency has had a number of candidates to choose from, each of whom belonged to the PDCI. It must be acknowledged that this system has worked extremely well and is the one-party system that most closely approaches democracy.
Finely balancing his administration to reflect the country's tribal makeup continues to be a considerable problem for Houphouet-Boigny. Nevertheless, he has always managed to do this successfully, and no tribal group has complained of underrepresentation. Since the very essence of domestic politics is tribal, this has contributed to the country's stability.
Houphouet-Boigny has always endeavored to pursue an independent foreign policy, particularly concerning the Middle East and South Africa. Relations with Israel were normalized in 1986 after a 13-year hiatus, and Cote
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