Paul Yao N'Dré

Paul Yao N'Dré (born 29 December 1956) is an Ivorian politician and magistrate who was President of the Constitutional Council of Côte d'Ivoire from 2009 to 2011. A long-time loyalist of President Laurent Gbagbo, he had served in the government for a time as Minister of the Interior.

Born at Gogobro in Divo Department, Yao N'Dré is a member of the Dida ethnic group. He worked as a law professor and was active in Gbagbo's political party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), for years. During Gbagbo's presidency, he was elected to the National Assembly as an FPI candidate in the December 2000–January 2001 parliamentary election and served in the government as Minister of the Interior. In the immediate aftermath of the September 2002–January 2003 civil war, he was no longer a minister in the government, but he remained influential and was considered part of Gbagbo's personal circle of advisers. He eventually became the FPI's National Secretary for Justice and Human Rights.

On 8 August 2009, upon the expiry of Yanon Yapo's six-year term as President of the Constitutional Council, President Gbagbo appointed Yao N'Dré to succeed Yapo. His appointment concerned the opposition, who worried that the Council might not be an impartial body if headed by Yao N'Dré. Denouncing the appointment, the opposition paper Le Nouveau Réveil said that it was impossible to imagine that Yao N'Dré would ever approve election results showing that Gbagbo had lost the election. Jeune Afrique noted that Gbagbo lacked control over the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) and the electoral preparations, and that his power to appoint a staunch political loyalist to head the Constitutional Council offered him another way to influence the outcome of the forthcoming presidential election.

The presidential election was finally held, after many delays, in October 2010. No candidate received a majority of the vote, necessitating a run-off between opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, who placed second, and President Gbagbo, who placed first. The second round was held on 28 November 2010, and a tense wait for results followed. Results were expected and then postponed for days, beyond the deadline for the announcement of results.

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