Gbagbo's party urges Ivorians to pray for Ouattara's quick recovery

The Ivorian Popular Front, party of former President Laurent Gbagbo, has called on Ivorians to pray for President Alassane Ouattara's quick recovery.

The party's National Chairman, Mr Pascal N'guessan, made the call while speaking at the opening of FPI's eighth convention in Abidjan on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Ouattara was reported to have undergone surgery following a nerve-related ailment called 'sciatica' in France.

Both the government and Ouattara's party, the Rally for the Republicans, had in separate statements declared that the president was improving and would return after a period of rest.

N'guessan said Ivorians owed the country a duty to pray for the quick recovery of the president.

'Let me urge the nation to pray for the quick recovery of the president. We have a lot of on-going issues which have to be tackled.

'We have the issue of political dialogue, national reconciliation and the overall restoration of the country, and the presence of the president is crucial to achieve all these,' he said.

N'guessan said the FPI remained bent on promoting issues which would strengthen democracy and the rule of law in the country.

He called on party faithful to remain dogged in the effort to reclaim power in the country by standing on good principles and sound democratic ideals.

The FPI national chairman restated calls for the release of its members in detention following the post-election violence which rocked the country.

'As a party, we will not shift from our ideology of promoting a strong country, built on unity, discipline and hard work,' he said.

NAN reports that Cote d'Ivoire, world's largest cocoa beans producer, was hit by a post-election violence which left it politically and ethnically divided. NAN