| Capitale | nom: Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative capital); note - although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative capital as well as the officially designated economic capital; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan coordonnées géographiques: 6 49 N, 5 16 W différence de temps: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: Yamoussoukro is named after Queen Yamoussou, who ruled in the village of N'Gokro in 1929 at the time of French colonization; the village was renamed Yamoussoukro, the suffix "-kro" meaning "town" in the native Baoule language; Abidjan's name supposedly comes from a misunderstanding; tradition states that an old man carrying branches met a European explorer who asked for the name of the nearest village; the man, not understanding and terrified by this unexpected encounter, fled shouting "min-chan m’bidjan," which in the Ebrie language means: "I return from cutting leaves"; the explorer, thinking that his question had been answered, recorded the name of the locale as Abidjan; a different version has the first colonists asking native women the name of the place and getting a similar response |
| Fête de l'Indépendance | 7 Aoüt 1960 (from France) |
| Fête nationale | Jour De l'Indépendance, 7 Aoüt (1960) |
| Constitution | history: previous 1960, 2000; latest draft completed 24 Septembre 2016, approved by the National Assembly 11 Octobre 2016, approved by referendum 30 Octobre 2016, promulgated 8 Novembre 2016 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; consideration of drafts or proposals requires an absolute majority vote by the parliamentary membership; passage of amendments affecting presidential elections, presidential term of office and vacancies, and amendment procedures requires approval by absolute majority in a referendum; passage of other proposals by the president requires at least four-fifths majority vote by Parliament; constitutional articles on the sovereignty of the state and its republican and secular form of government cannot be amended (2017) |
| Suffrage - Age minimum de l'électeur | 18 ans; universal |
| Pouvoir exécutif | chef d'état (Président): Président Alassane Dramane OUATTARA (depuis 4 December 2010); Vice Président Daniel Kablan DUNCAN (depuis 16 January 2017); note - the 2016 constitution calls for the establishment of the position of vice-president chef de gouvernement (1er ministre): Prime Minister Amadou Gon COULIBALY (depuis 11 January 2017) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single renewable 5-year term ; election last held on 25 October 2015 (next to be held in 2020); vice president elected on same ballot as president; prime minister appointed by the president; note – because Président OUATTARA promulgated the new constitution during his second term, he has claimed that the clock is reset on term limits, allowing him to run for up to two additional terms election results: Alassane OUATTARA reelected president; percent of vote - Alassane OUATTARA (RDR) 83.7%, Pascal Affi N'GUESSAN (FPI) 9.3%, Konan Bertin KOUADIO (independent) 3.9%, other 3.1% |
Source: CIA World Factbook - Version du décembre 31, 2019
