Former Ivory Coast president Bedie dies at 89 -relative

Former Ivory Coast President Henri Konan Bedie, candidate of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) for the October 31 presidential election, speaks during a meeting with Ivory Coast opposition leaders in Abidjan, Ivory Coast September 20, 2020. Picture taken September 20, 2020. REUTERS/Luc Gnago./File Photo

ABIDJAN (Reuters) -Former Ivory Coast President Henri Konan Bedie, part of an old guard of politicians who dominated politics in the West African nation for a generation, has died aged 89, a close relative told Reuters on Tuesday.

Bedie served as president from 1993 until his ouster in 1999 and later ran a losing race against his longtime political rival President Alassane Ouattara in elections in 2020, when he was 86 years old.