The Ivory Coast held a televised tribute Tuesday in Abidjan to honor Ivory Coast Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who died suddenly last week of a heart attack.
Coulibaly's passing comes a few months before he was to become the ruling party's presumptive presidential candidate.
President Alassane Ouattara, who led the memorial service, considered the 61-year old Coulibaly to be his successor.
There is currently no clear-cut replacement for Coulibaly, who was widely respected.
Kadia Camara, Ivory Coast's Education Minister, remembered Coulibaly as a gifted negotiator.
He said, “when Coulibaly spoke with civil society partners and the political opposition, he proved he had a great capacity for listening, for resilience, and for compromise which allowed us to reach precious agreements” Officials said. Coulibaly will be buried Friday in his hometown of Korhogo in northern Ivory Coast.
