APA-Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) Fourteen candidates including incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and his two main opponents Aime Henri Konan Bedie and Alassane Ouattara have been definitively selected by the Constitutional Council for the next Ivorian presidential election, announced on Friday Paul Yao N’dré, the chairperson of this institution, as he delivered a statement.

“Considering that the following candidates, Akoto Yao Felix, Anaky Kobenan Innocent Augustin, Bedie Konan Aime Henri, Enoh Aka N’douba, Gbagbo Laurent, Gnamien Konan, Konan Kouadio Simeon, Oble Jacqueline nee Lohoues Ahne, Mabri Toikeusse Albert,

"Ouattara Alassane, Tagoua Nynsemon, Tohou Henri and Wodie Romain Francis provided the required documents as specified by the law, and that they meet the required conditions, their names and surnames can be registered on the final list,” said Professor Paul Yao Andre while giving an account of decisions taken the day before by his institution.

In addition to these 13 candidates, there is the humorist Dolo Adama, born to Malian immigrants whose candidacy has been exceptionally considered “eligible” after he was granted Ivorian citizenship in 2004.

Thus, over the 20 applications submitted to the Constitutional Council by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), six of them have been rejected for not paying candidacy fees estimated at CFA 20 million and failing to provide a tax clearance certificate, N’dre explained.

Laurent Gbagbo called on his opponents to play the democracy game on Wednesday in Mankona (over 500 km away from Abidjan) centre-east of the country.

The presidential election was initially scheduled to take place on 29 November and postponed to a new date to be certainly disclosed on 24 November following a meeting to be held by the Permanent Consultation Framework (CPC) under the auspices of facilitator Blaise Compaore.