Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara says he will not run for a third term, putting pressure on other regional leaders to follow his example.
The 78 Year Old Ivorian President announced that he would not run for a controversial third term, even though a recently modified Constitution appeared to have given him the chance to contest.
There were gasps from politicians who had gathered to hear him speak in the capital Yamoussoukro and perhaps even louder sounds from the vicinity of the Presidential Palace in neighbouring Guinea.
Mr Ouattara’s announcement drew praises from Ivorian opposition leaders.
Pascal Affi N’Guessan, a Former Prime Minister and a key opposition figure, told the BBC he had to applaud the decision, saying it was a positive step for Democracy in Ivory Coast.
Other opponents, including the man reported to be the richest in Ivory Coast, Jean-Louis Billon, praised the President for taking such a decision.