14.Two days after the adoption of the Law by the National Assembly, Mr. Kramo
KOUASSI, acting on behalf of a group of 29 parliamentarians of the National
Assembly, on 30 May 2014, seized the Constitutional Council of Céte d'Ivoire
with a prayer to declare four (4) provisions of the aforesaid law (Articles 5, 15,
16
and
17)
unconstitutional.
According
to him,
the
provisions
in question
violate the right to equality before the law enshrined in the Ivorian Constitution
in its Article 2 which
provides that “A/l human
beings are born free and equal
before the law’ and Article 33(1) which provides that “the suffrage shall be universal,
free, equal and secret’.
15.Mr.
Kramo
KOUASSI
alleged
that the
presence
within
the
IEC
Central
Commission of a personal representative of the President of the Republic and
a
personal
representative
of
the
President
of
the
National
Assembly
constitutes a breach of the principle of equality of candidates given the fact
that, according to him, the first can stand as a candidate to succeed himself,
and the latter also fulfils the eligibility requirements set forth by the electoral
law.
16.He
maintained
charge
further that the representation
of Territorial Administration,
in the IEC, of the Minister in
the Minister in charge
of Economy
and
Finance, the High Judicial Council, the region Prefect, the Department Prefect
and the Sub-Prefect is superfluous in the sense that the law governing the IEC
in
its
Article
assistance
support
in
37,
provides
terms
is required
that
the
of administrative,
latter
shall
financial
for the proper functioning
be
accorded
Government
and
technical
staff,
of its services;
whose
that the said
representation is not only worthless but is also unfair in as much as it creates,
in favour of the President of the Republic, an unequal treatment on account of
the over-representation of the latter within the IEC.
—p,
Gi
b
SAD
4
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