Paris - Former Ivory Coast Prime Minister Jean Konan Banny succumbs to Covid-19
Former Ivory Coast prime minister Charles Konan Banny died in a Paris hospital on Friday after contracting Covid-19, close aides said.
Banny, 78, who was in office from 2005-2007, was being treated at the American Hospital in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine after contracting the disease in Ivory Coast.
Banny joined the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) in 1976, holding various positions in the Bank over the years. In 1988 he became Special Advisor to the Governor of BCEAO.
After BCEAO Governor Alassane Ouattara became Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, Banny was appointed Interim Governor on 4 December 1990. On 22 December 1993, he was appointed Governor, formally taking the position on 1 January 1994. He was reappointed for another six-year term as Governor on 17 June 1999, with the term beginning on 1 January 2000.
Banny’s selection to replace Seydou Diarra as transitional Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire was announced on 5 December 2005. His term was expected to end in October 2006, when national elections were to be held; however, elections were not held by the deadline, and the term of President Laurent Gbagbo was extended for another year, with Banny still at the helm.
Because of his selection as prime minister, Banny was barred from running for the office of President of Côte d’Ivoire. Following a peace deal in March 2007, "Forces Nouvelles" leader Guillaume Soro was appointed as Prime Minister and took over from Banny on 4 April. Banny also held the position of Minister of Economy and Finance from December 2005 to April 2007.
In 2011, after an electoral crisis left 3,000 people dead, he was named head of the Commission for Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation. He ran for president, unsuccessfully, in 2015 against current president Alassane Ouattara.
Banny was transferred to paris for treatments of pulmonary complications, after contracting the Corona Virus last week in Ivory Coast.
The father-of-four will be sorely missed by all, across the Ivorian political spectrum.
Ivory Coasttribune
Published By Claude Djaquis on 10/09/[email protected]:42