The President of the Republic is elected for five years by universal direct suffrage. He is only
reeligible one time. The candidate to the presidential election must be forty years of age at
least and sixty-five years at most. He must be Ivorian by birth, born of a father and of a
mother themselves Ivorian by birth. He must never have renounced the Ivorian nationality. He
must never have had [prévaloir] another nationality. He must have resided in Cote d’Ivoire
continuously during the five years preceding the date of the elections and have totaled ten
years of effective presence. The obligation of residence indicated in this article is not
applicable to the members of diplomatic and consular representations and to the persons
designated by the State to occupy a post or accomplish a mission abroad, to international
functionaries and to political exiles. The candidate to the Presidency of the Republic must
present a complete statement of his physical and mental well-being duly determined by a
college of three physicians appointed by the Constitutional Council from a list proposed by
the Council of the Order of Physicians. These three physicians must take an oath before the
Constitutional Council. He must be of good morals and of grand probity. He must declare his
assets and substantiate [en justifier] the origin of them.
Article 36
The election of the President of the Republic is acquired by an absolute majority of the
suffrage expressed. If this is not obtained, it proceeds to a second round, fifteen days after the
proclamation of the results of the first round. Only the two candidates having received the
greatest number of votes in the first round can present themselves. The convocation of the
electors is made by decree in the Council of Ministers. The first round of the ballot takes
place in the course of the month of October of the fifth year of the mandate of the President of
the Republic.
Article 37
If in the seven days preceding the deadline of the deposit of presentation of the candidatures,
one of the persons having, less than thirty days before that date, announced publicly his
decision to be a candidate, the Constitutional Council can decide on the postponement of the
election. If before the first round, one of the candidates dies or finds himself incapacitated
[empêché], the Constitutional Council declares the postponement of the election. In the case
of death or of incapacity of one of the two candidates coming in ahead as a result of the first
round, the Constitutional Council decides on the complete repetition of the electoral
operations.
Article 38
In case of events or of grave circumstances, notably of affect to the integrity of the territory,
or of natural catastrophes rendering impossible the normal holding of the elections or the
proclamation of the results, the President of the Commission charged with the elections
immediately seizes the Constitutional Council to the end of declaring [constatation] on this
situation. The Constitutional Council decides within twenty-four hours, to stop or to continue
the electoral operations or of suspending the proclamation of the results. The President of the
Republic informs the Nation by a message. He remains in [his] functions. In the case where
the Constitutional Council orders the stoppage of the electoral operations or decides on the
suspension of the proclamation of the results, the Commission charged with the elections
establishes and communicates daily [with] it on the state of the evolution of the situation.
When the Constitutional Council establishes the cessation of these events or of these grave