Ivorian president not to run for another term

By Felix Tih

ANKARA (AA) - Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said Thursday he will not contest the next presidential election scheduled for later this year.

''I have decided not to be candidate in the October 31, 2020 presidential election and to transfer power to a new generation,'' Ouattara said in a tweet.

Last November, the Ivorian head of state said that he will run for the next presidential election if "those of his generation" choose him.

He was referring to former heads of state Laurent Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bedie.

According to the 2016 constitution, candidates are limited to two consecutive terms as president and vice-president.

Ouattara came to power in 2010 and was re-elected for a second term in October 2015.

Ivory Coast plunged into a year of post-electoral violence in 2010 which led to the deaths of at least 3,000 civilians.

Former President Gbagbo refused to accept the election result, and his followers claimed Ouattara was not "truly Ivorian".

Gbagbo, who ruled between 2000 and 2011, was arrested and tried for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.