This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
On February 27, 2020, Ivory Coast Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan handed in his resignation to President Alassane Ouattara on personal grounds, according to a statement read by chief of staff Patrick Achi.
After several conversations, including one on July 7, 2020, the president accepted the resignation and on July 8, 2020, signed a decree ending Mr. Kablan Duncan's duties.
Mr. Kablan Duncan, 77, has been a key figure in Ivorian politics, serving as foreign minister from 2011-2012 and then as prime minister in charge of economy and finance from 2012-2017.
He became the first vice president in Ivory Coast's history in January 2017, a post created under a new constitution adopted in 2016.
President Ouattara praised Mr. Kablan Duncan as a 'great servant of the state, a man of power and commitment' in a statement.
Mr. Kablan Duncan's departure comes just five days after the shock death of Amadou Gon Coulibaly, a popular figure seen as President Ouattara's anointed successor for elections due in October 2020.
