In Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara dismissed his Prime Minister since 2021, Patrick Achi, on Friday, October 6, and announced the imminent formation of a new government. This decision was expected as the President had informed government members of an impending reshuffle during the last Council of Ministers on September 28.
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According to a press release from the Secretary General of the Presidency, Abdourahmane Cissé, Mr. Ouattara signed a decree “terminating the offices of the Prime Minister, the Head of Government and members of the Government.” The head of state expressed “his thanks to Prime Minister Patrick Achi and all members of the government for their commitment to serving the nation in recent years.”
Patrick Achi was appointed in March 2021 after the death of his predecessor Hamed Bakayoko from cancer, who himself succeeded Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who died in July 2020. He resigned in April 2022 before immediately returning to his post as part of a slight reshuffle. Last month he won a comfortable victory in local elections in his Mé (South) region.
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The next reshuffle should be more important and give clues to the heavyweights that the Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace Rally (RHDP, in power) is counting on in the 2025 presidential elections. By winning 60% of municipalities and 80% of regions in the September elections, the RHDP promises to be the big favorite of the election. It remains to be seen who his candidate will be: Alassane Ouattara has not yet commented on whether he wants to run for a fourth term or not.