Politics

The politics of Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Côte d'Ivoire is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.

Since 1983, Cote d'Ivoire's official capital has been Yamoussoukro; Abidjan, however, remains the administrative centre. Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan, although some (including the United Kingdom) have closed their missions due to the continuing violence and attacks on Europeans.

The population continues to suffer due to the ongoing civil war. International human rights organizations have noted problems with the treatment of captive non-combatants by both sides and the re-emergence of child slavery among workers in cocoa production. Since the incident on September 19, 2002 (See History), a civil war broke out, and the north part of the country has been seized by the rebels, the New Forces (FN). A new presidential election was expected to be held in October, 2005. However, this new election could not be held on time due to delay in preparation and was postponed first to October 2006, and now to October 2007 after an agreement was reached among the rival parties.