The
Rally of the Republicans (, RDR) is a
liberal party in
Côte d'Ivoire. It is presently the country's governing party; the party's leader,
Alassane Ouattara, is the current
President of Côte d'Ivoire.
The RDR, which has most of its support in the north of the country, was formed as a split from the then-ruling party, the
Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), in mid-1994.
Djéni Kobina became the new party's Secretary-General. The RDR sought for Ouattara, who had served as Prime Minister from 1990 to 1993, to become its candidate in the
1995 presidential election. However, amendments to the electoral code required presidential candidates to have lived in the country for five years and to have been born of Ivorian parents. It was thought that these provisions were specifically intended to keep Ouattara out of the running; he had been deputy managing director of the
International Monetary Fund for almost five years and his father's family has roots in
Burkina Faso. For this reason the RDR
boycotted the election.Robert J. Mundt, "Côte d'Ivoire: Continuity and Change in a Semi-Democracy",
Political Reform in Francophone Africa (1997), ed. Clark and Gardinier, page 194–197.
The RDR held its first ordinary congress on July 2–3 1995,Coulibaly Brahima, ,
Nord-Sud (allAfrica.com), July 27, 2007 ."Jul 1995 - Selection of...
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