Urging the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, opposition leaders, and all citizens to respect democratic principles, refrain from violence, and hold free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections in October 2020.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1150 Urging the Government of Coˆte d’Ivoire, opposition leaders, and all citizens to respect democratic principles, refrain from violence, and hold free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections in October 2020. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 Mr. PHILLIPS (for himself, Ms. BASS, and Mr. YOHO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Urging the Government of Coˆte d’Ivoire, opposition leaders, and all citizens to respect democratic principles, refrain from violence, and hold free, fair, transparent, and peace- ful elections in October 2020. Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to maintain a strong relationship with a democratic, peaceful, stable, and economically prosperous Coˆte d’Ivoire whose leaders prioritize good governance, the rule of law, and respect for human rights; Whereas the United States and Coˆte d’Ivoire have a strong bilateral relationship with important cooperation on eco- nomic interests, regional stability, and counterterrorism priorities, and efforts to advance health and development objectives; VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Sep 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1150.IH HR1150 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1150 IH Whereas Coˆte d’Ivoire has a presidential election scheduled for October 31, 2020; Whereas previous transitions of power have been marred by conflict and violence against civilians, including most re- cently in 2010–2011, when 3,000 civilians were killed during an election-related dispute; Whereas the root causes of past political violence—including religious and ethnoregional tensions, contestation over land, politicization of the judiciary and concerns over due process, and a lack of professionalism, adequate training, and civilian control over the security forces—have not been adequately addressed; Whereas political leaders have previously manipulated and ex- ploited religious, ethnic, and regional identities and eco- nomic grievances to incite violence including through inci- dents of hateful and divisive speech occurring both in person and online; Whereas President Ouattara’s decision to stand for a third term, despite a two-term limit in the constitution, has heightened tensions, and several citizens have been killed and dozens more injured or arrested amid protests against his candidacy; Whereas political violence in Coˆte d’Ivoire could threaten the region’s stability and economic development prospects, and undermine efforts to counter violent extremism and terrorist activity; Whereas the Government of Coˆte d’Ivoire must protect the health and safety of its citizens and prevent the spread of COVID–19 while also ensuring credible elections and enabling the participation of all voters; VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Sep 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1150.IH HR1150 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1150 IH Whereas the Government of the United States is deeply com- mitted to efforts to prevent conflict and atrocities and ad- dress the root causes of fragility, as evidenced by the en- actment of the Global Fragility Act of 2019 and the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018; and Whereas the United States Embassy in Coˆte d’Ivoire issued a statement on August 25, 2020, ‘‘supporting free, trans- parent, and inclusive elections in Coˆte d’Ivoire’’ and urg- ing ‘‘all parties, groups and individuals to refrain from violence and hateful/divisive speech and to choose dia- logue to find peaceful solutions to their disagreements’’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) reaffirms that the United States will con- 2 tinue to stand with the people of Coˆte d’Ivoire in 3 support of peace, democracy, religious and ethnic 4 tolerance, and stability; 5 (2) calls upon the Government of Coˆte d’Ivoire 6 and all political parties to— 7 (A) protect all civilians from violence and 8 support their right to peacefully demonstrate; 9 (B) condemn all forms of hate speech and 10 incitement of violence while maintaining citi- 11 zens’ open access to information; 12 (C) publicly commit to free, fair, peaceful, 13 and transparent elections and make clear that 14 all Ivorians, including security forces, govern- 15 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Sep 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1150.IH HR1150 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1150 IH ment officials, political opposition members, and 1 the media, will be held accountable for inciting 2 or perpetrating violence; 3 (D) support an independent investigation 4 into the killings of civilians during demonstra- 5 tions; 6 (E) support efforts to implement public 7 health protocols to prevent further spread of 8 COVID–19 and ensure safe participation of all 9 voters on election day; and 10 (F) request the electoral observation serv- 11 ices of the African Union or the Economic 12 Community of West African States, and grant 13 full access to election observers; 14 (3) encourages civil society organizations, local 15 communities, and religious leaders to— 16 (A) remain united in calls for peace, non- 17 violence, tolerance, and democracy; and 18 (B) work to educate voters about the elec- 19 toral process in order to combat disinformation 20 and violence; and 21 (4) calls upon the United States Government 22 and international partners to— 23 (A) continue to condemn violence against 24 peaceful demonstrators and hate speech that 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Sep 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1150.IH HR1150 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 1150 IH promotes such actions, including posts on social 1 media, and urge all political parties to publicly 2 commit to free, fair, peaceful, and transparent 3 elections; 4 (B) continue to support election prepara- 5 tion efforts, including through assistance to the 6 Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), ca- 7 pacity building for civil society and local lead- 8 ers, voter education programs, development of 9 election day protocols, violence prevention pro- 10 grams, support for election observation, and 11 human rights and atrocities prevention moni- 12 toring; and 13 (C) call for and support an independent in- 14 vestigation into the killings of civilians during 15 demonstrations. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Sep 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1150.IH HR1150 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS