Ivory Coast Opposition in Plea to Ouattara on Election Talks

The opposition coalition in the Ivory Coast on Monday invited President Alassane Ouattara, who is seeking a controversial second term, to discuss conditions for upcoming elections while "there is still time."

"The elections cannot and must not be held without sitting down to discuss the conditions," said Jean-Jacques Bechio, spokesman for the National Coalition for Change (NCN).

The NCN includes some 20 Ivorian politicians including ex-prime minister Charles Konan Banny, who is a candidate in the upcoming October 25 elections.

The opposition coalition is demanding the dissolution of the electoral commission in charge of polls, which is considered favorable to the incumbent president, as well as the "effective disarmament of all militias."

Ivory Coast descended into chaos and violence after elections in 2010 as former president Laurent Gbagbo attempted to cling to power.

He was eventually toppled in April 2011 by forces loyal to the election winner Ouattara, who was backed by the U.N. and France.

The Ivorian Constitutional Council on Monday gave a tentative list of 33 presidential candidates, including three women, who filed their application for the presidential elections.

Earlier in August, Ouattara, who is considered the favorite going into the polls, promised that elections would take place in a "peaceful climate."

In June, thousands of people demonstrated in Abidjan against the president, with some saying he had done "nothing" for the country torn apart by conflict.