Henri Konan Bédié

The reaction of opposition leader and former president Henri Konan Bédié of the Parti démocratique de Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI) has been muted but former premier Alassane Dramane Ouattara’s Rassemblement des républicains (RDR) insists that the election date must be ‘definitive’ this time and that identity and polling cards must be distributed before the end of September...

Political activists of all tendencies are increasingly frustrated by the old guard of Laurent Gbagbo (65 years old) Henri Konan Bédié (76) and Alassane Dramane Ouattara (68)...

The big rival parties are the Rassemblement des Républicains (RDR) led by Alassane Dramane Ouattara and including many northern Muslims and ex-President Henri Konan Bédié’s Parti Démocratique de Côte d’Ivoire solidly based among the mainly southern Akan-speakers especially the Baoulé...

Former President Henri Konan Bédié and former Prime Minister Alassane Dramane Ouattara (ADO) through the Rassemblement des Houphouëtistes pour la Démocratie et la Paix have agreed a mutual support pact in a hoped-for second round of voting...

Then the opposition Parti Démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire led by former President Henri Konan Bédié announced in July that it was forming a new militia...

Also present were Henri Konan Bédié of the Parti Démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) President in 1993-99 who was also excluded from the poll in 2000; and the serving Premier Guillaume Kigbafori Soro Secretary General of the Mouvement Patriotique de Côte d'Ivoire (MPCI) and leader of the formerly rebel Forces Nouvelles (FN)...

Henri Konan Bédié (75) is Baoulé like Houphouët-Boigny whom he succeeded as President in 1993-99...

Henri Konan Bédié of the Parti Démocratique de la Côte d’Ivoire will be a factor more as an ally in the event of a run-off than as a contender...

Whether the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo the northern leader Alassane Dramane Ouattara or the leader of the former single party the Parti Démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire Henri Konan Bédié wins China is keen to show that it will be a faithful friend...

Former President Henri Konan Bédié stands little chance of winning...