Ivory Coast vice president resigns days after PM's death

ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast's Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan has resigned, the presidency said on Monday, further unsettling the political outlook days after the sudden death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, President Alassane Ouattara's designated successor.

Duncan was leaving for "reasons of personal convenience", Patrick Achi, a top aide to Ouattara, said in a statement to reporters.

Achi said that Duncan, who had previously served as Ouattara's prime minister, first tendered his resignation in February and that Ouattara finally accepted it last Wednesday after a series of meetings between the two men.

Last Wednesday was also the day that Gon Coulibaly, who had longstanding heart problems, died after a cabinet meeting. Gon Coulibaly had been the ruling party's candidate for a presidential election in October, hand-picked by Ouattara after the president decided not to stand for a third term.

Following Gon Coulibaly's death, Ouattara's RHDP party has said it may ask the president to rethink his decision not to seek another term.