Francis Wodié
Encyclopedia
Romain Francis Wodié is an Ivorian
politician. A professor and human rights activist, he led the Ivorian Workers' Party
(PIT) from 1990 to 2011. During that time, Wodié served as a Deputy in the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire
from 1990 to 1995 and as Minister of Higher Education from 1998 to 1999. Since 2011 he has been President of the Constitutional Court of Côte d'Ivoire.
. He attended primary school in M'Bahiakro and secondary school in Abidjan. Afterwards he studied law in Dakar
, Senegal
, and in France
at Poitiers
and Caen
. While in France, he was a member of the Executive Bureau of the Association of Ivorian Students in France. In July 1961, he was arrested "for endangering the safety of the State of Côte d'Ivoire in France", expelled from France, and placed under house arrest
in Abidjan. Following his release in January 1962, he continued his studies in France. After completing his studies, he returned to Côte d'Ivoire, where he began teaching at the University of Abidjan. He was a founding member of the National Union for Research and Higher Education (SYNARES) and was its Secretary-General. In March 1971, he was accused of "subversive activities", and as a result he lived in exile in Algiers
until August 1973.
Wodié was the dean of the faculty of law at the University of Abidjan from 1980 to 1986. He was also a founding member of the Ivorian League of Human Rights, and from 1985 to 1989, he was President of the Ivorian section of Amnesty International
. He was a founding member of the PIT in April 1990 and led the party from the time of its formation as its First National Secretary. In May 1990, referring to the spread of multiparty politics in Africa, which was previously dominated by single-party regimes, Wodié said that "establishing a multiparty system is only a step on the way to democracy, not an end in itself".
Wodié was the only PIT candidate to win a seat in the November 1990 parliamentary election
. He won the seat for the Cocody
district in Abidjan, prevailing over two candidates from the ruling Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) and a candidate from the opposition Ivorian Popular Front
(FPI). After the election results were announced, showing that the PDCI had won an overwhelming parliamentary majority, Wodié said that he found the results "difficult to believe", because they suggested that the opposition was less popular than he thought; to explain the outcome, he pointed to low turnout among voters, arguing that many people failed to vote in the belief that the PDCI would win through fraud.
Wodié served in the National Assembly
until losing his seat in the 1995 parliamentary election
. As the only candidate standing against President Henri Konan Bédié
in the October 1995 presidential election
, which was boycotted by other opposition parties, Wodié won 3.52% of the votes.
In the government named on 11 August 1998, Wodié was appointed as Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Explaining his decision to join the government, Wodié said that, although the PIT was an opposition party, it also favored consultations enabling the party to contribute to national development. He remained in his ministerial post until Bédié was ousted in the military coup of 24 December 1999. Along with other ministers, Wodié was detained following the coup, but he was released on 28 December. In February 2000, Wodié announced his candidacy for the October 2000 presidential election
. In this election, Wodié placed third with 5.7% of the votes. At the time of the 2000 election, the Associated Press
characterized him as "an intellectual without a strong national following".
Having served as the First National Secretary of the PIT since the time of its Constitutive Congress, Wodié was instead elected as President of the PIT at the party's 3rd Ordinary Congress in August 2004.
Wodié stood again as the PIT candidate in the October 2010 presidential election, but he attracted minimal support. He and his party backed Alassane Ouattara
in the second round of the presidential election. The election produced an extended and violent dispute over the results; Ouattara eventually prevailed when forces loyal to him captured Abidjan in April 2011. Wodié stepped down as head of the PIT in 2011, but Ouattara then appointed him as President of the Constitutional Council on 25 July 2011; Wodié was appointed to replace Paul Yao N'Dre
, a loyalist of Ouattara's ousted opponent Laurent Gbagbo
.
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
politician. A professor and human rights activist, he led the Ivorian Workers' Party
Ivorian Workers' Party
The Ivorian Party of Workers is a centre-left, democratic socialist and social democratic, political party in Côte d'Ivoire. It is led by Francis Wodié and was founded on April 8, 1990....
(PIT) from 1990 to 2011. During that time, Wodié served as a Deputy in the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire
National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire
The National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire is Côte d'Ivoire's unicameral legislative body. Evolved from semi-representative bodies of the French Colonial period, the first National Assembly was constituted on 27 November 1960 with 70 elected member in accordance with the Constitution of 31 October...
from 1990 to 1995 and as Minister of Higher Education from 1998 to 1999. Since 2011 he has been President of the Constitutional Court of Côte d'Ivoire.
Biography
Wodié was born in AbidjanAbidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
. He attended primary school in M'Bahiakro and secondary school in Abidjan. Afterwards he studied law in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
at Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
and Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
. While in France, he was a member of the Executive Bureau of the Association of Ivorian Students in France. In July 1961, he was arrested "for endangering the safety of the State of Côte d'Ivoire in France", expelled from France, and placed under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
in Abidjan. Following his release in January 1962, he continued his studies in France. After completing his studies, he returned to Côte d'Ivoire, where he began teaching at the University of Abidjan. He was a founding member of the National Union for Research and Higher Education (SYNARES) and was its Secretary-General. In March 1971, he was accused of "subversive activities", and as a result he lived in exile in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
until August 1973.
Wodié was the dean of the faculty of law at the University of Abidjan from 1980 to 1986. He was also a founding member of the Ivorian League of Human Rights, and from 1985 to 1989, he was President of the Ivorian section of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. He was a founding member of the PIT in April 1990 and led the party from the time of its formation as its First National Secretary. In May 1990, referring to the spread of multiparty politics in Africa, which was previously dominated by single-party regimes, Wodié said that "establishing a multiparty system is only a step on the way to democracy, not an end in itself".
Wodié was the only PIT candidate to win a seat in the November 1990 parliamentary election
Ivorian parliamentary election, 1990
Parliamentary elections were held in Ivory Coast on 25 November 1990, the first since the restoration of multi-party democracy. Although 17 of the 25 legalised parties ran in the election, nearly half of the 490 candidates were from the former sole legal party, the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire...
. He won the seat for the Cocody
Cocody
Cocody, is an upmarket suburb of Abidjan, marked by its abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy business people, ambassadors, and other affluent people live...
district in Abidjan, prevailing over two candidates from the ruling Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) and a candidate from the opposition Ivorian Popular Front
Ivorian Popular Front
The Ivorian Popular Front , known by its French initials FPI, is a centre-left, democratic socialist and social democratic, political party in Côte d'Ivoire....
(FPI). After the election results were announced, showing that the PDCI had won an overwhelming parliamentary majority, Wodié said that he found the results "difficult to believe", because they suggested that the opposition was less popular than he thought; to explain the outcome, he pointed to low turnout among voters, arguing that many people failed to vote in the belief that the PDCI would win through fraud.
Wodié served in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire
The National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire is Côte d'Ivoire's unicameral legislative body. Evolved from semi-representative bodies of the French Colonial period, the first National Assembly was constituted on 27 November 1960 with 70 elected member in accordance with the Constitution of 31 October...
until losing his seat in the 1995 parliamentary election
Ivorian parliamentary election, 1995
Parliamentary elections were held in Ivory Coast on 26 November 1995. Ten parties and a number of independents contested the election, with the Rally of the Republicans and the Ivorian Popular Front running under the Republican Front banner...
. As the only candidate standing against President Henri Konan Bédié
Henri Konan Bédié
Aimé Henri Konan Bédié is an Ivorian politician. He was President of Côte d'Ivoire from 1993 to 1999, and he is currently the President of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire - African Democratic Rally .-Biography:...
in the October 1995 presidential election
Ivorian presidential election, 1995
Presidential elections were held in Ivory Coast on 22 October 1995. They were boycotted by the main opposition parties, the Ivorian Popular Front and the Rally of the Republicans, resulting in only one candidate challenging incumbent Henri Konan Bédié, who in his role as President of the National...
, which was boycotted by other opposition parties, Wodié won 3.52% of the votes.
In the government named on 11 August 1998, Wodié was appointed as Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Explaining his decision to join the government, Wodié said that, although the PIT was an opposition party, it also favored consultations enabling the party to contribute to national development. He remained in his ministerial post until Bédié was ousted in the military coup of 24 December 1999. Along with other ministers, Wodié was detained following the coup, but he was released on 28 December. In February 2000, Wodié announced his candidacy for the October 2000 presidential election
Ivorian presidential election, 2000
A presidential election was held in Côte d'Ivoire on 22 October 2000. Robert Guéï, who headed a transitional military regime following the December 1999 coup d'état, stood as a candidate in the election. All of the major opposition candidates except for Laurent Gbagbo of the Ivorian Popular Front ...
. In this election, Wodié placed third with 5.7% of the votes. At the time of the 2000 election, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
characterized him as "an intellectual without a strong national following".
Having served as the First National Secretary of the PIT since the time of its Constitutive Congress, Wodié was instead elected as President of the PIT at the party's 3rd Ordinary Congress in August 2004.
Wodié stood again as the PIT candidate in the October 2010 presidential election, but he attracted minimal support. He and his party backed Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Côte d'Ivoire since 2011. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of West African States , and he was the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from November 1990 to...
in the second round of the presidential election. The election produced an extended and violent dispute over the results; Ouattara eventually prevailed when forces loyal to him captured Abidjan in April 2011. Wodié stepped down as head of the PIT in 2011, but Ouattara then appointed him as President of the Constitutional Council on 25 July 2011; Wodié was appointed to replace Paul Yao N'Dre
Paul Yao N'Dré
Paul Yao N'Dré is an Ivorian politician and magistrate who was President of the Constitutional Council of Côte d'Ivoire from 2009 to 2011...
, a loyalist of Ouattara's ousted opponent Laurent Gbagbo
Laurent Gbagbo
Laurent Koudou Gbagbo served as the fourth President of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 until his arrest in April 2011. A historian by profession, he is also an amateur chemist and physicist....
.