Henri Konan Bédié facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henri Konan Bédié
Bédié in 2017
2nd President of Ivory Coast
In office 7 December 1993 – 24 December 1999 Acting President until 22 October 1995
Prime Minister	Daniel Kablan Duncan
Preceded by	Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Succeeded by	Robert Guéï
Personal details
Born	(1934-05-05)5 May 1934 Dadiékro, French West Africa
Died	1 August 2023(2023-08-01) (aged 89) Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Political party	PDCI-RDA
Spouse	Henriette Koinzan Bomo

Aimé Henri Konan Bédié (born 5 May 1934 – died 1 August 2023) was an important politician from Ivory Coast. He served as the second President of Ivory Coast from 1993 to 1999. Later, he became the leader of a major political group called the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast - African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA). Before becoming president, he was a member and leader of the country's National Assembly. He tried to become president again in the 2020 election, but he was not successful.

Early Life and Career

Henri Konan Bédié was born in Dadiékro, Daoukro Department, on 5 May 1934. He studied in France. After Ivory Coast became independent in 1960, he became the country's first ambassador to the United States and Canada. An ambassador is like a country's official representative in another country.

From 1966 to 1977, he worked in the government as the Minister of Economy and Finance. This job meant he was in charge of the country's money and financial plans. During this time, he also became the first chairman of a special committee for the IMF and World Bank. These are big international organizations that help countries with their economies. He held this role from 1974 to 1976. From 1978 to 1980, he was a special advisor to the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation.

In 1980, Bédié was chosen to be a member of the National Assembly of Ivory Coast. The National Assembly is like the country's parliament, where laws are made. In December 1980, he was elected as the President of the National Assembly. He was re-elected to this position in 1985 and 1990.

Becoming President (1993–1999)

When the long-time President Félix Houphouët-Boigny passed away on 7 December 1993, Henri Konan Bédié took over. As the President of the National Assembly, he was next in line according to the country's rules. He announced his new role on television just a few hours after the former president's death.

There was a short disagreement over who should lead between Bédié and the Prime Minister, Alassane Ouattara. Bédié became the leader, and Ouattara resigned on December 9. Bédié was then chosen as the leader of the PDCI party in April 1994. He served as acting president until the next election.

As President, Bédié worked to keep the country stable. However, his government faced criticism for how it handled political opponents. Before the October 1995 presidential election, the election rules were changed. New rules said that presidential candidates had to be born to two Ivorian parents and live in the country for five years before the election. Many believed these rules were made to stop Alassane Ouattara from running. He had been living in the United States, and there were rumors about his father's background.

Because of these new rules, the two main opposition parties, the Rally of the Republicans (RDR) and the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), decided not to take part in the election. This is called an election boycott. As a result, Bédié won the election with a very high percentage of the votes.

Bédié's presidency ended when he was removed from power by a military coup on 24 December 1999. This happened after he refused the demands of soldiers who had rebelled. One of their demands was to release members of the RDR party. After the coup, a retired general named Robert Guéï became president. Bédié went to a French military base and then left Ivory Coast by helicopter on 26 December. He went to Togo with his family, where he was welcomed by the Togolese President Gnassingbé Eyadéma.

After the Presidency

Bédié left Togo on 3 January 2000 and traveled to Paris, France. His political party, the PDCI, announced that they would hold a meeting to choose new leaders. Bédié called this an attempt to remove him, but the party decided to keep him as their leader.

Bédié tried to run in the October 2000 presidential election. However, the Constitutional Court said he could not run, along with another politician named Emile Constant Bombet. On 10 October, Bédié asked people to boycott the election.

On 23 June 2001, Laurent Gbagbo, who had become president in the 2000 election, met with Bédié in Paris. Gbagbo encouraged Bédié to return to Ivory Coast, which he did on 15 October 2001.

Bédié spoke at a national meeting for peace on 12 November 2001. He said that the country's political problems started with the 1999 coup. He asked all Ivorian politicians to speak out against the coup. He also talked about a concept called Ivoirité, which was promoted during his time as president. He said it was meant to strengthen the country's "cultural identity" and not to exclude anyone from politics. However, some people criticized Ivoirité, saying it caused division and was meant to stop political rivals like Ouattara from participating. Bédié disagreed with this criticism. When the PDCI party held its meeting in April 2002, Bédié was re-elected as the party leader.

Bédié later spent another year in France and came back to Ivory Coast on 11 September 2005. When he returned, he said that President Gbagbo should not stay in office after his term ended in October 2005. He suggested that a temporary government should be put in place.

In May 2007, Bédié announced that he would be the PDCI candidate for the next presidential election, which was expected in 2008. He spoke at a rally in Dabou on 22 September 2007. There, he said the country needed "shock treatment" to return to normal, promised to fix the economy, and strongly criticized President Gbagbo.

In June 2020, Bédié announced that he would run in the October presidential election for the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire. He finished in third place, getting 1.68% of the votes.

Henri Konan Bédié passed away on 1 August 2023, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at the age of 89.

See also

In Spanish: Henri Konan Bédié para niños

• First Ivorian Civil War