Africa News of Friday, 13 March 2020

Source: bbc.com

Ivory Coast's president names party successor

Amadou Gon Coulibaly (R) will succeed Alassane Ouattara as RHDP party leader Amadou Gon Coulibaly (R) will succeed Alassane Ouattara as RHDP party leader

The president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, has named a close ally as the ruling RHDP party's candidate to succeed him.

President Ouattara, who announced last week that he would not seek re-election, told a meeting in the largest city, Abidjan, that Amadou Gon Coulibaly - the current prime minister - had the support of the the vast majority of party members.

It's not yet clear who will oppose Mr Gon Coulibaly in October's presidential election.

Two former presidents - Laurent Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bédié- have not yet said whether they will be candidates.