Alassane Ouattara gambles on a third term in Ivory Coast

HE IS THE type of leader donors revere. When Alassane Ouattara became president in 2011, Ivory Coast was a ruin, despoiled by two civil wars and a decade of political turmoil. Under his stewardship the country has grown calmer and richer. He has attracted foreign investment, made inroads against corruption and presided over an economy that has grown by an average of 8% a year since he came to power. Ivory Coast was once regarded as the jewel of Francophone Africa. Mr Ouattara (pictured) has restored some of its sparkle.Such accomplishments aside, the president appeared to have secured his reputation when, after some equivocation, he announced his retirement in March. Though he insisted that a new constitution in 2016 allowed him to seek a third (and fourth) term, the 78-year-old concluded that he would content himself with two—and then hand power to a pliant successor.