Cote D’Ivoire’s new Constitution, approved by a national...

Cote D’Ivoire’s new Constitution, approved by a national referendum held on July 23 and 24, 2000, provides for the abolition of the death penalty.
Article 2 of the Costitution stipulates that: “toute sanction tendant à la privation de la vie humaine est interdite” (“all penalties resulting in the deprivation of human life are prohibited”).
Under Ivorian law the Constitution takes precedence over penal law, thus courts can no longer hand down death sentences.
The new constitution also foresees the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 years, prohibits female genital mutilations, and safeguards other political and civil rights.
Côte d'Ivoire has been abolitionist in practice for several decades although the death penalty remained on the statute books. Felix Houphouet-Boigny, the first president of the country allowed no executions to take place. Murder, treason and desertion were capital crimes. In 1995, the National Assembly approved a law extending the death penalty to robbery with violence and allowing for public executions, but then president Henri Konan Bédié did not promulgate the law.
Previously a model of stability and ethnic and religious harmony, the toppling of Bédié by the late Robert Guei in 1999 gave rise to xenophobia and ethnic discord.
In October 2000, Guei claimed victory in presidential elections, but a popular uprising against perceived vote rigging forced him to flee. Laurent Gbagbo, believed to be the real winner in the presidential election, was then proclaimed president, but opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, excluded from running in the poll, called for a fresh election. Gbagbo's was favoured by mainly southern Christians, whilst Muslims from the North supported Outtara. Parliamentary elections in December 2000 confirmed Gbago’s power base with his Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) emerging as the biggest single party.
In September 2002 a troop mutiny voicing the ongoing discontent of northern Muslims escalated into a full-scale rebellion. Thousands were killed in the conflict.
In January 2003, 32 representatives of political parties and the three main rebel groups signed peace accords in Paris. By the terms of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement President Gbagbo was to remain in power until the end of his mandate in 2005 but had to set up a power-sharing government.
In March 2003 agreement was reached on nine rebel members in the new government and Seydou Diarra, as the prime minister acceptable to all sides, was tasked with forming a cabinet.
Months of fighting came to an end in May 2003 with a ceasefire between armed forces and rebel groups.
However in November 2004, hostilities broke out again with the Ivorian air force attacking rebels and French forces destroying the planes on the tarmac in retaliation for the killing of French soldiers in the air strikes. Anti-French protesters took to the streets in violent riots.
In December 2004, Parliament passed key reforms envisaged under 2003 peace accord, including abolishing the need for the president to have Ivorian mother and father. A Supreme Court ruling had barred opposition leader Ouattara from standing for the presidency on the grounds that he is a foreigner, an assertion which he denies.
Nationwide elections scheduled for October 2005 when President Gbagbo's five-year term was due to expire were postponed after the president invoked a law which he said allowed him to stay in office.
On December 18, 2008 the Côte d’Ivoire co-sponsored and voted in favour of the Resolution on a Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty at the UN General Assembly.
On December 21st, 2010, the Côte d’Ivoire co-sponsored the Resolution but was absent during the vote. On December 20, 2012, the Côte d’Ivoire co-sponsored and voted in favour of the Resolution.