Ivorian Popular Front

The Ivorian Popular Front (French: Front populaire ivoirien; abbr. FPI) is a centre-left, democratic socialist and social democratic political party in Ivory Coast.

Ivorian Popular Front
Front populaire ivoirien
AbbreviationFPI
LeaderPascal Affi N'Guessan
Founded1982 (1982)
IdeologySocial democracy
Democratic socialism
Left-wing nationalism
Political positionCentre-left
International affiliationSocialist International (until 2011)
ColoursBlue, white, red
Seats in the National Assembly
2 / 255
Website
fpi-ci.com

History

FPI was founded in exile in 1982 by history professor Laurent Gbagbo, Aboudramane Sangaré, and other allies during the one-party rule of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny.[1] Politically inspired by the French Socialist Party, the FPI was until 2011 a full member of the Socialist International (SI).[2][3] The expulsion of the FPI from the SI occurred as a result of the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis.

Gbagbo was sworn in as President after the heavily disputed presidential election of October 22, 2000. In the parliamentary election held on 10 December 2000 and 14 January 2001, the party won 96 out of 225 seats.

The party president is Pascal Affi N'Guessan, a former prime minister. Following Gbagbo's election as President, he was required to step down as party leader, and N'Guessan was elected to head the party at its Third Extraordinary Congress in July 2001.[4]

The Ivorian Popular Front boycotted the 2011 parliamentary election,[5] accusing the electoral commission of bias in favour of Alassane Ouattara and accusing the army of intimidating FPI supporters during the campaign.[6] The party also complained of having been limited in informing the electorate, with the pro-FPI newspaper Notre Voie having been banned by the government and many of its journalists arrested or jailed.[7]

On 8 August 2015, N'Guessan was designated as the FPI's presidential candidate for the October 2015 presidential election. He denounced the incarceration of Gbagbo by the International Criminal Court and political conditions under Ouattara: "Peace isn't only the silence of weapons. Can we say that Ivory Coast is in peace when President Gbagbo is in The Hague? With hundreds of political prisoners in jail, Ivory Coast is not in peace." Some hardliners in the FPI did not want to participate in elections as long as Gbagbo remained imprisoned, but others felt the party needed to remain engaged in the electoral process.[8]

In the December 2016 parliamentary election, only three FPI candidates, including N'Guessan, were elected to the National Assembly.[9]

On December 23, 2020, the FPI said it would participate in the 2021 Ivorian parliamentary election.[10]

Electoral history

Presidential elections
Election Party candidate Votes % Votes % Results
First Round Second Round
1990 Laurent Gbagbo 548,441 18.32% - - Lost Red XN
1995 Boycotted
2000 Laurent Gbagbo 1,065,597 59.4% - - Elected Green tickY
2010 Laurent Gbagbo 1,756,504 38.04% 2,054,537 (CC) 51.45% (CC) Elected Green tickY
2,107,055 (IEC) 45.9% (IEC)
2015 Pascal Affi N'Guessan 290,780 9.29% - - Lost Red XN

National Assembly elections
Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/–
1990 Laurent Gbagbo 365,999 19.8%
9 / 175
 Increase 9
1995
12 / 175
 Increase 3
2000–01
96 / 225
 Increase 84
2011 Pascal Affi N'Guessan Boycotted
0 / 255
 Decrease 96
2016 118,130 5.83%
3 / 255

 Increase 3

References
  1. "Côte d'Ivoire: Aboudramane Sangaré, fidèle de Laurent Gbagbo, est décédé" [Ivory Coast: Aboudramane Sangaré, loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, died]. Radio France Internationale (in French). 2018-11-03. Archived from the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  2. List of Socialist International parties.
  3. SI Presidium addresses situation in Côte d'Ivoire
  4. Dioh, Tidiane (July 31, 2001). "Le FPI en ordre de bataille" [The FPI in battle order]. Jeune Afrique (in French). Archived from the original on 2007-09-30.
  5. "Boycott by Gbagbo party clouds Ivory Coast polls". France 24. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  6. "Low turnout in Ivory Coast parliamentary elections". BBC News. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  7. "Reconciliation likely to be an unlikely outcome of Ivorian elections". Business Council for Africa. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  8. "Gbagbo's FPI picks presidential hopeful after years of boycotts", Reuters, 8 August 2015.
  9. "Élection des députés à l'Assemblée nationale. Scrutin du 18 décembre 2016. Résultat national", Independent Electoral Commission, page 21.
  10. "Ex-president Gbagbo's party says ending 10-year boycott of I.Coast elections". msn.com. AFP. December 23, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
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