Key last-minute change to Ivory Coast constitution

   ABIDJAN, July 17 (AFP) - The head of Ivory Coast's ruling junta on
Monday
announced a last minute change to the constitution to be voted on July 23
concerning the eligibility of presidential candidates.
   The new version of article 35 of the proposed constitution states that a
presidential candidate "must be Ivorian by origin, born of a mother and
father
themselves of Ivorian origin".
   The previous version published May 26 had an "or" in place of the "and",
meaning that a candidate had to be of Ivorian origin but that only one of
their parents had to be of Ivorian origin.
   The change came by presidential decree after campaigning for the
constitutional referendum began on Sunday.
   The importance of the distinction between the "and" and the "or" in the
wording of the constitution has dominated Ivorian politics for weeks.
   The polemic on the origins of presidential candidates started under
former
president Henri Konan Bedie, ousted by Guei in the December 24 coup.
   Bedie accused former prime minister Alassane Ouattara, leader of the
Rally
of Republicans (RDR) and presidential candidate, of being from Burkina Faso
and therefore unable to be president of Ivory Coast.
   Guei has changed his mind several times on the issue, saying that he had
finally decided to put this change in place after touring the country and
finding that the vast majority of Ivorians were in favour of candidates
having
an Ivorian mother and father and not just one Ivorian parent.
   "The spokespeople of the the population of inland Ivory Coast in 15 of
the
18 regions visited are in favour of and insist on the "and" in place of the
"or"," said Guei.
   "The people have expressed their will. We are here to meet their
expectations," he added.
   As for the effect of Monday's decision on Ouattara, the RDR spokesman,
Aly
Coulibaly responded by saying: "Our candidate is perfectly eligible."
   "The president of the RDR is not in any way affected by this last-minute
modification, his father and mother are of Ivorian origin," said Coulibaly.
   He said however that the RDR, which had called for a "yes" vote in the
referendum would announce its position shortly.

Sidi Sanneh

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