Daniel Kablan Duncan

Daniel Kablan Duncan
Prime Minister of the Ivory Coast
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 November 2012
President	Alassane Ouattara
Preceded by	Jeannot Ahoussou-Kouadio
In office 11 December 1993 – 24 December 1999
President	Henri Konan Bédié
Preceded by	Alassane Ouattara
Succeeded by	Seydou Diarra
Personal details
Born	1 July 1945 Ouellé, French West Africa (now Ivory Coast)
Political party	Democratic Party

Daniel Kablan Duncan (born 1 July 1945) is an Ivorian politician who has been Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire since November 2012. He previously served as Prime Minister from 11 December 1993 to 24 December 1999 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from June 2011 to November 2012.

Life and career

He was appointed as Prime Minister following the death of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny on 7 December 1993 and the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara after a power struggle for the presidency. Duncan had been Minister of Finance under Ouattara and remained in charge of finance when he became Prime Minister. He said that he would continue Ouattara's economic policies of austerity and privatization.^[1]

Duncan served as Prime Minister for six years, until President Henri Konan Bédié was ousted in a military coup on 24 December 1999.

Duncan was named Minister of Foreign Affairs by President Alassane Ouattara on 1 June 2011. After more than a year in that post, he was appointed to replace Jeannot Ahoussou-Kouadio as Prime Minister on 21 November 2012. Like Ahoussou-Kouadio, Duncan is a member of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), a party headed by Bédié and allied with President Ouattara's party, the Rally of the Republicans (RDR).^[2] The composition of his government was announced on 22 November 2012. Duncan, in addition to serving as Prime Minister, was also assigned the ministerial portfolio for finance and the economy. Meanwhile, Charles Koffi Diby, who had been Minister of Finance in the previous government, replaced Duncan as Minister of Foreign Affairs.^[3]

After Ouattara won re-election in October 2015, Duncan and his government resigned on 6 January 2016, but Ouattara immediately reappointed Duncan as Prime Minister.^[4]

References

1. "Côte d'Ivoire's premier calls for continuing austerity plans", The Journal of Commerce, 20 December 1993.
2. "Former Ivorian foreign minister named PM: official", Agence France-Presse, 21 November 2012.
3. "PM takes finance portfolio in new Ivorian government", Reuters, 22 November 2012.
4. Evelyne Aka, "Ivory Coast government resigns but PM stays", Agence France-Presse, 6 January 2016.