France welcomes Côte d'Ivoire Presidential elections

The Côte d'Ivoire’s decision to hold Presidential elections on 31 October has received a nod of approval from France. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that it had “taken note” of the decision to re-launch the electoral process, announced Thursday by Prime Minister Guillaume Soro.

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo VOA

The government had been under mounting pressure to announce a date for elections after being frequently postponed since the expiry of President Laurent Gbagbo's mandate in 2005.

Relations between Abidjan and Paris have remained strained since the French clashed with Ivorian demonstrators in Abidjan in 2004. The violence broke out after Côte d'Ivoire warplanes bombed a French position near Bouake in the north.

Recently French President Nicolas Sarkozy has tried to ease tensions, but Paris has always insisted on the need for presidential elections, whereas Abidjan has resisted any outside pressure from Paris.

The Côte d'Ivoire sent its Defence Minister to attend a military parade on Bastille Day in Paris as part of 50 years of African independence celebrations but did not send troops to take part.