Ivory Coast Dissolves Govt Over Women's Rights Law

The Ivory Coast, or Cote d'Ivoire for you French-speakers out there, has had a rough past couple of years. The November 2010 elections resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 people, as incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept his loss to now-President Alassane Outtara. Outtara was barricaded in a hotel in the capital city well into 2011, but eventually peace was reached and his victory confirmed by the international community. (side note: former President Gbagbo was known as "Le Boulanger," meaning "the baker," for his tendency to roll his opponents in flour, aka screw them over)

Outtara's blockaded hotel, note the UN tents outside, Feb 2011

Last week, President Outtara dissolved his 36-person cabinet, citing conflict in the ranks of his coalition government. Back during the blockade, the 3rd place winning party in the elections agreed to back Outtara in the run-off in exchange for a high position in the new government. It is that party, the PDCI, that disagreed with Outtara's bill in Parliament, causing Outtara to throw them out of his cabinet, essentially.

Alassane Outtara, President of Cote d'Ivoire

The bill would make women equal heads of the household in Cote d'Ivoire. Like a lot of places on the continent, men are legally in charge of the family and responsible for all major decisions. Women don't have many rights once married, and President Outtara is trying to change that law.

In case you forgot where Cote d'Ivoire is, it's in west Africa

Random Kate Thoughts: I remember speaking with an Ivorian student two years ago during all of the craziness in the election. While the international media had been extremely pro-Outtara, my student was on the side of Gbagbo, which I found interesting. Was it her nation's propaganda that convinced her of that position, or was the west being one-sided again? While I still haven't completed decided, I'm pretty glad that Outtara is trying to do such good for women in Cote d'Ivoire by making them joint heads of household. Dissolving your cabinet might not be the best way to get people on your side, but who knows. This stand of Outtara will certainly keep him the darling of the west for a bit longer.