The progress in establishing the rule of law in Côte d’Ivoire under Ouattara’s presidency

Abstract

Creating an autonomous and efficient judiciary represents an important and necessary step for the consolidation of democracy and the reconciliation of a nation divided by almost two decades of conflict over the contentious issue of Ivoirité. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the progress that has been made in the establishment of the rule of law in Côte d’Ivoire under the current president, Alassane Ouattara, by comparing the period of his presidency to those of his predecessors, Henri Konan Bédié, General Robert Gueï and Laurent Gbagbo. I argue that the judiciary is still struggling to establish its autonomy and that one of its main problems is its lack of impartiality. I examine possible reasons for the courts’ persistent weak accountability performance and discuss possible remedies.