While he has just thanked his government, Alassane Ouattara is thinking about the ideal Prime Minister. He only has a few days to make his choice.
It was only a matter of days after the legislative elections that saw the RHDP, Alassane Ouattara's party, win the majority of seats in the National Assembly. The President of the Ivorian Republic is currently on the lists: in addition to the President of Parliament, whom he must appoint before the first session in the National Assembly on April 1, “ADO” is currently looking for a Prime Minister.
A routine for him: after the departure of Amadou Gon Coulibaly for treatment, the Head of State had chosen his Minister of Defense, Hamed Bakayoko, as interim Prime Minister. After Coulibaly's death, and while he was in the midst of the presidential campaign, Ouattara had decided to confirm Bakayoko rather than Patrick Achi, the secretary general of the presidency, yet well placed to take the post.
More the death of Hamed Bakayoko once again upset the plans of the Ivorian power. After not having decided to appoint an interim Prime Minister, Alassane Ouattara finally appointed Patrick Achi to regulate current affairs until the formation of a new government.
The interim prime minister only lasted a short time: the legislative elections passed and with the approach of the first session in the Assembly for the new deputies, the President of the Republic decided to thank his government. And therefore his acting Prime Minister.
Patrick Achi at the top of the short-list
He has, according to the media, announced the news to the members of the outgoing executive team during the very last Council of Ministers, which took place this Wednesday, March 24. Sources close to the Ivorian government say that Alassane Ouattara will appoint a new head of government "in the coming days".
If a few names have started to circulate for the next government - some newly elected deputies will have a place there, but must wait until April 1 to leave their elected post - it is above all the name of the Prime Minister that the Ivorian people are waiting for. . And on that side, Ouattara has a choice: he could consider opening his government to policies that do not belong to the RHDP. A gesture of openness which would make it possible to envisage a peaceful mandate with the opponents of the FPI and the PDCI-RDA.
But according to the entourage of the Ivorian president, Ouattara could rather opt for the option of continuity. The secretary general of the presidency, who won his legislative election in Adzopé, would be in pole position to continue his mission as Prime Minister. After having assumed the interim Hamed Bakayoko, it is difficult to see who can block the road to Achi.
But Alassane Ouattara is sometimes surprising. Above all, he usually ensures that his prime ministers are loyal to him and do not become potential competitors. Patrick Achi has this profile, but he is not the only one. Fidèle Sarassoro, chief of staff to the president, but also Jean-Claude Brou, president of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as Ally Coulibaly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, have in turn been cited as potential prime ministers. Alassane Ouattara still has less than a week to make his decision.