Ivory Coast prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly dies at 61

Gon Coulibaly, Ivory Coast's prime minister and the ruling party's candidate for an October presidential election, died on Wednesday, the President said. The 61-year-old Gon Coulibaly, who had heart surgery in 2012, became unwell during a weekly cabinet meeting and was evacuated to a hospital where he passed away, the president said in a statement read on national television. Gon Coulibaly had returned to Ivory Coast on July 2 after two months in France to undergo a heart exam and rest.

Gon Coulibaly's death is likely to set off a mess up within the ruling RHDP party to replace him as its candidate in an election that is considered a key test of stability for the world's top cocoa producer.