The Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization Sidiki Diakité died on Friday, the presidency announced in a statement, eight days before the presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire.
72 hours of mourning was declared, according to the press release, in which President Alassane Ouattara "
salutes the memory of a great servant of the State
".
Festive activities related to the election campaign are also suspended until Monday, the ruling party said on its Twitter account.
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The death of Mr. Diakité, in the midst of the October 31 presidential election campaign, was initially announced by Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko.
"
I am deeply sorry to announce the sudden death of Mr. Diakite, which occurred at the beginning of the afternoon, which plunges us into consternation
", he declared.
The cause of Mr. Diakité's death has not been specified, but Ivorian media report a heart attack.
His age was not specified either.
Former prefect of Abidjan, Sidiki Diakité had been Minister of the Interior between July 2017 and September 2019. This is the second death recorded by the Ivorian executive in the space of a few months, after that of the former Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, then the ruling party's presidential candidate, on July 8, suffered a heart attack.
The electoral campaign is taking place under high tension in Côte d'Ivoire.
About 30 people have been killed since August.