Bédié, Henri Konan, 1934–, Ivoirian political leader. A member of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire–African Democratic Rally (PDCI), Bédié was the country's ambassador to the United States (1961–66) and Canada (1963–66) and minister of economy and finance (1966–77). First elected to the National Assembly in 1980, he became its president later that year. Following the death of Ivoirian president Félix Houphouët-Boigny in 1993, Bédié succeeded him, and became leader of the PDCI in 1994. Ousted in a 1999 military coup, he fled abroad until 2001 but attempted, unsuccessfully, to run for president in 2000. He ran for president in 2010 and 2020, losing both times to Alassane Ouattara; in 2020 he called for a boycott of the election.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: African History: Biographies
