Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara appointed Robert Beugré Mambé as prime minister on Monday, after over a week of rumours and speculation.
Mambé is now tasked with proposing a new government to the head of state “as soon as possible”, as stated in a presidential communique.
When he came to power in 2011, Ouattara appointed Mambé — a stalwart of the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) — as governor of the Abidjan Autonomous District.
It was a strategic position that he has held until today. During the recent local elections on 2 September, he was elected mayor of the Songon commune, located about 30 kilometres west of Abidjan.
Tough blow for Achi
For Patrick Achi, his removal from the premiership comes as a significant setback. He had been prime minister since March 2021, appointed after the passing of his predecessor, Hamed Bakayoko, who had himself succeeded Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who passed away in July 2020.
A defector from the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI) and a former associate of Henri Konan Bédié, he had secured a prominent place in the president’s inner circle and was widely regarded as one of his closest collaborators.
With strong local roots, he had just comfortably won a second term as the head of the Mé regional council in the 2 September local elections.
Kandia Camara elected senate president
The ministerial reshuffle is expected on 17 October.
On 28 September, during the previous cabinet meeting, the head of state had informed government members of his intention to reshuffle his team, causing some stir in the room. Since then, little information has emerged about incoming and outgoing ministers.
The election of Kandia Camara as Senate president on Thursday 12 October, frees up the position of minister of foreign affairs, which she had held since 2021.
Another position to be filled is that of Relations with Institutions, vacated by Gilbert Koné Kafana. This head of the Executive Board of the RHDP has been a loyal supporter of Ouattara since the 1990s and now assumes the role of senior representative to the president.
Strong local performance of RHDP
Kafana is capitalising on the RHDP’s excellent performance in the recent local elections. The presidential camp secured more than half of the municipalities and over three-quarters of the country’s regions, far ahead of opposition parties.
Ally Coulibaly, another long-time ally of the president and special advisor, has been appointed Officer of the National Order, while Épiphane Zoro Bi, formerly the minister for the promotion of good governance, takes the helm at the High Authority for Good Governance.
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