President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast is moving to fulfill his 2015 campaign promise to put a new constitution up for ratification. The resolution authorizing the draft of a new charter passed overwhelmingly in the Ivorian National Assembly, 203-6, and the document, which is being drafted by a panel of experts, will be the subject of a popular referendum likely by the end of October. It appears it will pass despite some political opposition. Three clauses written into the draft constitution may greatly improve the stability of Ivory Coast, which has seen annual economic growth averaging almost 9 percent since 2012. The stability of French-speaking Africa's largest and most well-developed country in turn would affect the wider region, especially landlocked Burkina Faso. The changes are especially important as Guillaume Soro, the president of the Ivorian National Assembly and a former rebel commander, attempts to secure his political future while Ouattara...
