ICoast constitutional referendum called amid political tensions
   by Caspar Leighton

   ABIDJAN, July 13 (AFP) - Ivory Coast's military junta has officially
called
a constitutional referendum, the first step in a promised return to
democracy,
amid political tensions in the wake of last week's army mutiny.
   Junta boss General Robert Guei signed a decree Wednesday -- the same day
four opposition party officials were arrested -- setting the referendum for
July 23, in accordance with a previously announced timetable for the
restoration of civilian rule.
   Four members of Alassane Ouattara's Rally for Democracy (RDR) including
the
deputy secretary general were arrested Wednesday after Guei charged that
last
week's two-day army mutiny was backed by politicians.
   Thirty-five soldiers including eight officers have also been arrested in
an
investigation into the uprising by mutinous soldiers who sought huge
bonuses
for their role in bringing Guei to power in a coup last December.
   The draft constitution, drawn up primarily by representatives of
political
parties and civil society, contains a controversial clause on nationality
that
may effectively bar Ouattara from running for president in September.
   The former prime minister is considered a serious contender against Guei
for the presidency, should both men stand. Guei has not revealed his
intentions.
   The constitution's nationality clause is ambiguous. It has been
interpreted
as meaning that candidates must never have used or claimed another
nationality.
   Ouattara is accused of having claimed Burkina Faso nationality when he
was
fresh out of university and worked as an economist for the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
   In the 1980s, he was appointed by Ivorian President Felix Houphouet-
Boigny
as a Burkina Faso representative to a senior position at the Central Bank
of
West African States (BCEAO).
   The RDR, which was expelled from the junta-led transitional government
in
May, says Ouattara is not affected by the clause and has called for a "yes"
vote, as have all the main political parties.
   Ouattara's opponents claim the controversial clause would disqualify him
as
a candidate the presidential vote, tentatively set for September 17.
   Tension caused by former president Henri Konan Bedie's attempts to have
Ouattara disqualified on the grounds that he was Burkinabe contributed to
the
coup that ousted Bedie on December 24.
   Another clause concerning eligibility for contesting the presidency has
provoked controversy.
   Under the original draft constitution, published May 26, a candidate
would
have to have either an Ivorian mother or an Ivorian father. In the face of
a
furore over the issue, Guei initially said both the candidate's parents
would
have to be Ivorian, but he has since vacillated so many times on this point
that the issue remains unclear.
   Campaigning in the referendum will run from Saturday until midnight on
July
22, with the vote itself on July 23 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
   "In case of a split vote between the 'yes' and the 'no', there will be a
second round July 30, 2000," Wednesday's communique said.

Sidi Sanneh

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