ABSTRACT
On 7 December 1993, the thirty-third anniversary of Côte d’Ivoire’s independence from France, the death was announced of President Houphouet-Boigny. He died peacefully in office, halfway through his seventh term as Côte d’Ivoire’s elected executive President. He was thought to be at least eighty-seven years old in 1993, and had been too infirm in his final term to exercise more than a general direction over the government of his newly appointed Prime Minister, Allasane Ouattara. On 9 December Ouattara resigned and a new government took office under President Henri Konan Bédié, former Speaker of the National Assembly, in accordance with Article 11 of the Constitution. The new President holds office until the next general and presidential elections due at the end of 1995.
