Unofficial English translation. The French original is the authoritative text.
The reform of Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral system has entered a decisive phase. It is in this context that Mrs Danièle Boni-Claverie, President of the Republican Union for Democracy (URD), was received on Friday 2 October 2026 by the Minister of the Interior and Security, Army Corps General Vagondo Diomandé, to hand over the party’s contribution to the overhaul of electoral administration.
Mrs Danièle Boni-Claverie hands over the URD proposal at the Ministry of the Interior and Security, 2 October 2026.
A small delegation, an exchange marked by respect
The URD President was accompanied by Mr Éhouman Gilbert, the party’s Secretary General, and Mr Bleu Ounseu Ébénézer, National Secretary for Communication. On the ministry’s side, the meeting was attended by Mrs Zunon Carine, Technical Adviser to the Minister, and Mr Mongue Emmanuel, in charge of political parties.
The Minister gave the delegation a courteous welcome and showed particular consideration for the party’s President, a former minister of the Republic. The discussions took place in a calm and constructive atmosphere, in keeping with what is at stake.
A single, independent and neutral institution
Following the dissolution of the Independent Electoral Commission on 6 May 2026, and the government’s presentation of an architecture made up of three separate bodies, the URD chose to put forward a precise, reasoned contribution. The party advocates a single electoral institution, responsible for the whole electoral chain, from voter registration to the announcement of provisional results: a single institution means clear accountability and avoids spreading responsibilities across several bodies.
- Independence and neutrality, guaranteed by law;
- Legal, administrative and financial autonomy, under the supervision of no ministry;
- Members drawn exclusively from civil society: figures recognised for their integrity, competence and probity;
- No representatives of political parties or of the administration in the decision-making body, with state officials providing technical support only.
Its remit would cover organising elections, revising and auditing the voters’ roll, drawing electoral boundaries and civic education. The URD also proposes the automatic registration of citizens when they come of age, so that the number of registered voters comes closer to the voting-age population.
Public hearings for members above all suspicion
This is the measure that sets the URD proposal apart. For more than twenty years, members of the CEI were appointed after bargaining between parties and institutions; citizens discovered their names in the Official Gazette without knowing anything about their backgrounds. The URD proposes that no member of the future institution may be appointed without first being heard in public, through a six-step process: a public call for applications, shortlisting by an independent committee, publication of the applications, broadcast hearings, approval by a qualified majority and appointment without any change to the selected list.
The resulting board of nine to eleven members elects its own chair: the chair’s legitimacy comes neither from the Head of State, nor from the government, nor from the parties, but from their peers.
Referees chosen in full public view are referees everyone can accept.
URD proposal, October 2026
Four recommendations for peaceful elections
- an inclusive political dialogue on the reform;
- an independent audit of the voters’ roll to correct its anomalies;
- fairer electoral boundaries, correcting imbalances between population and number of seats;
- an effective annual revision of the voters’ roll.
A party committed to peace and democracy
Côte d’Ivoire needs an electoral institution in which every citizen can recognise themselves. The URD makes its contribution in a spirit of responsibility and peace.
Mrs Danièle Boni-Claverie, President of the URD
Through this initiative, the URD reaffirms its vocation as a republican party committed to dialogue and to strengthening democracy. The party thanks the Minister of the Interior and Security for his welcome and remains available to continue discussions as part of the ongoing reform.
The URD President and her delegation at the Ministry of the Interior and Security.
