The Ivory Coast prime minister died unexpectedly. Amadou Gon Coulibaly (61) became unwell during a meeting of the cabinet. He was still taken to hospital, but died a little later.
Gon Coulibaly was the ruling party’s candidate in the October presidential election. He had returned from France last Thursday. There he had been hospitalized for two months because of heart problems.
Gon Coulibaly’s death is likely to spark a fight within the RHDP party over who should now become a presidential candidate. The elections are seen as an important stability test for the country.
Alassane Ouattara’s victory over reigning Laurent Gbagbo led to a brief civil war in 2010. About 3,000 people were killed at the time. Ouattara appointed Gon Coulibaly as an RHDP candidate in March, after he himself announced that he would not go for a third term.
