Choi after his meeting with Soro: "We must preserve the achievements made on the electoral list"
Le Nouveau Réveil -« Y.J. Choi, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Côte d'Ivoire, had an audience yesterday Monday, 15 February at the Prime Minister's Office in a Plateau. At the end of the meeting which lasted five minutes, the UN diplomat made the following short statement: "The time is sensitive and delicate. In such situation we must keep the perspectives and the principles. I suggest that we keep three principles: We must preserve past achievements including the provisional electoral list ; a definitive list must be established as soon as possible and a solution to the current crisis must be found as quickly as possible. [...]"

Paris takes note
Fraternité Matin - « The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday made a statement on the sociopolitical crisis in the country which was caused by the processing of a parallel list by the IEC. The Spokesman of the Quai d'Orsay, asked by journalists on Paris' response to the situation and if the Ivorian head of state had the right to dissolve the institution, said that he had taken note of the decision. "We have taken note of the dissolution of the government and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). We are closely following the situation. You know our position. We would like to see the quick implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, to which President Gbagbo referred during his statement. Elections must be held within this framework in a free and transparent manner", declared Bernard Valero, Spokesman on the Ministry's website.

Council of Ministers, Thursday or Friday
Fraternité Matin - «Sources close to the discussions have announced that the first council of ministers of Guillaume Soro's second government should be held on Thursday or Friday. The venue has not yet been named. However, it is more or less certain, having seen the positive and quick evolution of negotiations. The Council was initially scheduled yesterday, before being put back, at the request of the head of government, who decided to listen to all sociopolitical groups in order to have the support of the majority of Ivorians in carrying out mission. It is about his success as well as that of the implementation of the OPA.

After the dissolution of the government and the IEC: thousands of youths demonstrate in Abengourou demanding Gbagbo's
departure
Le Nouveau Réveil - «Shops and markets were closed. The town was covered in black smoke from tyres being burnt at each crossroads in the town. Transport was non-existent except for a few vehicles. Thousands of youths refused to retreat in face of teargas being thrown by the police. Abengourou, the royal city of peace was in the hands of the youth of RHDP all morning yesterday, Monday, 15 February. The youths, thousands of them, had completely paralysed the capital of l'Indénié. Thousands of them crisscrossed the main roads demanding Laurent Gbagbo's departure. "Fantômas", one of the organisers of the demonstration said that he and his colleagues were responding to a call by the RHDP leadership which had declared that it no longer recognised Laurent Gbagbo as head of state in Côte d'Ivoire. The police, who at first wanted to disperse the demonstrators, finally understood that it would not be prudent to do so, therefore they just followed the movement of the youths. [...] »

Affi N'guessan (FPI's chairman) at Soro's office: « the RHDP must be put aside »
Le Nouveau Réveil - "[...] formation of a new government: Did the FPI make proposals? [...]
What is important is that Côte d'Ivoire has a real government in which the ministers will share the same views, will show solidarity, will respect the state's institutions, and will do nothing which will adversely affect the functioning of the government; Ministers who will serve the State, the Republic and not political parties. [...]
Do you have a format for the IEC's reconstitution?
The IEC should inspire confidence in everybody. With a chairman who does not belong to any political camp. [...]
What is your response to the RHDP's statement which says that it does not recognize the head of state?
We believe that these words are irresponsible. The RHDP, using article 48, says it does not recognize the President. But I believe that the RHDP forgets that this article 48 is the reason why their candidates are presently in the electoral run. [...]. If the RHDP's concern is not the unification of the country, peace in Côte d'Ivoire, RHDP must be put aside so that the government works with Ivorians who want peace in their country."

Bedie, Ouattara, Mabri and Anaky demand reestablishment of
IEC
Fraternité Matin - "The four leaders of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), namely Henri Konan Bedie (PDCI), Alassane Dramane Ouattara (RDR), Albert Mabri Toikeusse (UDPCI) and Innocent Anaky Kobenan (MFA) held talks yesterday at Alassane Ouattara's home. This meeting revolved around only one topic: analyzing the decisions made by the head of state, Laurent Gbagbo, as regard the dissolution of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the government.

At the end of the consultations which occurred after the statement of the RHDP's leadership last Saturday, and the talks held the next day with the Prime Minister Soro Guillaume and the representative of the Facilitator, Badini Boureima, Bedie, Alassane, Mabri and Anaky, through the PDCI's Secretary General, Professor Alphonse Djedje Mady, demanded one thing: the reinstatement of the IEC. "The IEC should be reestablished and should work in order to conduct elections as soon as possible, as decided on 3 December 2009, at the last Permanent Consultative Framework (CPC), in Ouagadougou, so that we have elections in March. We want the IEC in its Pretoria and Ouaga formula", Djedje Mady says. He added: "We are not expecting an IEC with a different size. We want the IEC which was there to complete its work [...]. On behalf of the four leaders of the RHDP, Djedje Mady said "There is no government issue if the IEC issue is not resolved". And he added: "If the IEC's problem is not resolved, this government will be without the RHDP. [...]"

Dissolution of the government and the IEC - today is the day of truth in Bouaké
Le Patriote - "The world is listening to Bouaké. After the missed appointment scheduled for Monday 15 February, at last today the political branch of the Forces Nouvelles meets the movement's delegates and the military command. [...]"