Ivory Coast opposition leader and former prime minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and 19 other people have been arrested for creating a rival government after President Alassane Ouattara’s election victory.
The 20 arrested opposition leaders of the election face charges of terrorism and up to life in prison for denouncing the vote.
The opposition boycotted the October 31 elections when president Ouattara decided to run for a third term in a country that has a two-term limit.
President Ouattara says that when the new constitution started in 2016, that helped to restart his tenure as the leader of the West African nation.
Ivory Coast President Says the New Constitution Allowed him Run for 3rd Term
The standoff has raised fears of protracted instability in the world’s top cocoa producer, whose disputed 2010 presidential election led to a brief civil war. More than 40 people have died in clashes before and since the latest vote.
Genevieve Goetzinger, a spokeswoman for Affi, said on Twitter he was arrested in the southeastern town of Akoupe while en route to his hometown of Bongouanou.
“I confirm that my husband was arrested during the night but I don’t know where he is right now,” she said.
Affi served as prime minister from 2000-2003 under President Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to concede defeat to Ouattara after the 2010 election sparked a civil war which killed 3,000 people.
The opposition claims Ouattara has violated the constitution by seeking a third term. Ouattara says approval of a new constitution in 2016 restarted his mandate and allowed him to run again.
With President Ouattara collecting over 94% of the votes, he will now await to be sworn back into office to lead the nation to which many and even the nationals want him out of office.
The country has been rocked with protests across the country on issues of governance and the economy that continues to struggle.
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