Cote d'Ivoire's president announces candidacy for presidential election

APD NEWS

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Cote d'Ivoire's President Alassane Ouattara officially announced on Thursday his candidacy for the October presidential election.

"I have decided to respond favorably to the call of my fellow citizens and to be a candidate for the presidential election of Oct. 31, 2020," Ouattara said during Independence Day celebrations, which falls on Friday.

Ouattara's decision to run for a third term came after Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly died last month following heart surgery. He was officially designated as the candidate of the operating Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace party for the October presidential election.

"In the face of this situation, I have decided to reconsider my position and to stand for the presidential election," explained Ouattara, who in March had announced his desire not to run for president.