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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Alassane Ouattara

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Alassane Ouattara

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Côte d’Ivoire’s president, Alassane Ouattara, did not have an easy path to power, but has comfortably been in the presidential office in the country since 2011. A career economist before he entered politics, Ouattara has had the difficult task of attempting to restore the Ivorian economy that was severely damaged during the civil war, and attempting to unite a fractured government. Both his personal and political life are quite interesting, so read on for ten things you didn’t know about President Alassane Ouattara.

Sources: Britanica.com, BBC.com, TheGuardian.com, IMF.org, ADO.ci, CBC.ca, TheAfricanMag.com

IvoryCoastPresident.com
IvoryCoastPresident.com

He is a descendant of the Muslim rulers of Burkina Faso

On his father’s side, Ouattara is a descendant of the rulers of the Kong Empire, an area that stretched over present-day northern Côte d’Ivoire and parts of Burkina Faso. Ouattara claims to be a sixth-generation descendant of Sekou Ouattara, the founder of the dynasty.

SeneNews.com
SeneNews.com

Ouattara’s father was a chief in Sindou, Burkina Faso

While Ouattara was in primary school, his father was named chief of Sindou, a Burkina Faso town just over the border from Côte d’Ivoire. This would contribute to later controversy surrounding Ouattara’s nationality and lineage.

Commons.Wikimedia.org
Commons.Wikimedia.org

Ouattara received his higher education in the United States

After receiving his primary school education in Côte d’Ivoire and his secondary in present-day Burkina Faso (then known as Upper Volta), Ouattara headed to the Drexel Institute of Technology in Pennsylvania in the United States for his Bachelor’s Degree in business administration. He then went on to pursue a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Echodusud.com
Echodusud.com

He formerly worked as the deputy head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

From 1968 to 1990, Ouattara worked in various capacities for the IMF and the Banque Centrale des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO, also known as the Central Bank of West African States). Beginning as an economist, he rose to serve, among other positions, as the Director of the African Department at the IMF, Governor of the BCEAO, and the Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Committee for Coordination of the Stabilization and Economic Recovery Programme of Côte d’Ivoire.

NewsTimeAfrica.com
NewsTimeAfrica.com

While Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, Ouattara illegally tried to carry out presidential duties as well

From 1992-1993, Ouattara attempted to carry out presidential duties in Côte d’Ivoire, including the period of time when then-president Houphouët-Boigny was ill. After Houphouët-Boigny passed away, Ouattara engaged in a power struggle with the President of the National Assembly, Henri Konan Bédié, despite the fact that the constitution clearly gave Bédié succession rights. Bédié prevailed, and Ouattara resigned.

Telegraph.co.uk
Telegraph.co.uk

Ouattara was disqualified from running in the 1995 and 2000 presidential elections due to changes in the electoral code

Before the 1995 election, the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire changed the electoral code to ban candidates from running for president if either of their parents were of foreign nationality, or if they had not lived in the country for the preceding five years. Ouattara, with a father thought to be from Burkina Faso (though documents later disproved this), had also lived abroad for years during his time with the IMF, and was subsequently disqualified from the election.

Referentiel.Nouvelobs.com
Referentiel.Nouvelobs.com

Ouattara’s first marriage to an American woman was used in attempts to disprove his Ivorian nationality

In 1966, Ouattara married an American woman, Barbara Jean Davis. In 2000, the opposition movement against Ouattara attempted to show an American marriage certificate as evidence that he was not in fact Ivorian, but the certificate was a forgery. On it, it listed Ouattara’s nationality as Burkinabe, as well as his mother’s.

Lepointsur.com
Lepointsur.com

He sacked his entire government cabinet in November 2012

In a controversial move, Ouattara decided to lay off his government in November 2012 after they passed a new marriage law that would make wives joint heads of the household. Though his party supported the new law, Ouattara, along with the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire, strongly opposed the changes.

JolPress.com
JolPress.com

Some claim that Ouattara’s second wedding ceremony was presided over by French President Nicolas Sarkozy

Ouattara married Dominique Nouvian, a French businesswoman, in 1991. Their ceremony was held in the town hall of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, and there are rumors that Sarkozy officiated, as he was mayor of Neuilly at the time.

E-Monsite.com
E-Monsite.com

Dominique Ouattara has also been the subject of much controversy and speculation

Ouattara’s current wife, Dominique Ouattara (née Dominique Nouvian), has been the subject of speculation about the nature of her relationship with former Ivorian President Houphouët-Boigny. Some claim that she was his former mistress, thanks to a secret cable from the U.S. Embassy in Paris in 2005, while others point to wrongdoing as her property management company, AICI, managed Houphouët-Boigny’s considerable real estate holdings.