Perhaps the Ivorian legislators were unaware that only 36 persons acquired nationality by declaration and that not one person applied to acquire Ivorian nationality through naturalization pursuant to Article 105. Regardless, the 1972 amendments to the Nationality Code demonstrated the undercurrent of nationalism in Ivorian politics that established Côte d’Ivoire as having the most restrictive nationality regime in West Africa. These amendments, however, had little practical impact on a continued liberal immigration policy and widespread administrative practices that integrated “foreigners” into Ivorian society as citizens under Houphouët-Boigny but did not formally attribute Ivorian nationality to them in accordance with the Nationality Code, leaving the door open for various public perceptions of who is and is not an Ivorian. The Linas-Marcoussis Agreement of 2003 was the first text in which major political actors of all persuasions acknowledged the enormous divide between the entitlements and procedures according to the letter of the Nationality Code and problems with the law’s implementation – or lack thereof – in practice. It called upon the government of national reconciliation to create an accessible temporary naturalization program that would apply to the beneficiaries of the former acquisition of nationality by declaration procedure previously foreseen in Articles 17-23 of the 1961 Nationality Code as well as those who could have benefited from the transitional naturalization option available for one year pursuant to Article 105. Linas-Marcoussis also called on lawmakers to remedy existing gender discrimination in acquisition of nationality through marriage, which was then only available to foreign women marrying Ivorian men. The Linas-Marcoussis naturalization program was implemented through the adoption of two laws in 2004, four presidential decisions (supplementing and amending the 2004 laws), and one implementing decree passed in 2006. According to the Ministry of Justice’s records, between 2005 and 2007, 540 naturalization decrees were signed, granting Ivorian nationality by naturalization to 773 adult petitioners and 557 minor children.74 The most recent amendments to Côte d’Ivoire’s Nationality Code and nationality-related measures came in 2013. First, additional changes to Articles 12, 13, 14, and 16 of the Nationality Code were made with the view to facilitate acquisition of nationality through marriage. Acquisition of nationality through marriage now occurs automatically on equal terms for foreign men and women marrying an Ivorian national at the time of a civil marriage ceremony.75 Second, Law No. 2013-653 established special provisions regarding acquisition of nationality by declaration. This temporary procedure revived the goals of Linas-Marcoussis to resolve the situation of historical migrants who were entitled to acquire Ivorian nationality pursuant to Articles 17-23 and 105 of the 1961 Nationality Code, but failed to formally apply to do so. As set forth in the Explanatory Memorandum: The political crisis that overcame our country and led to armed conflict in September 2002 brought to the agenda the question of the abnormally prolonged alien status of certain populations who, despite having totally integrated into the Ivorian social fabric and consider themselves as Ivorians, remain as a matter of law non-nationals, but without having another nationality. This is the case of immigrants from the colonial period and their children born on Ivorian soil. 74 Ministère de la Justice, Base de Données Numérique des Naturalisations de novembre 1962 à novembre 2015 : Statistiques Provisoires, 2015 (on file with author). 75 Loi No. 2013-654 du 13 septembre 2013 portant modification des articles 12, 13, 14 et 16 de la Loi No. 61415 du 14 décembre 1961 portant Code de la nationalité telle que modifiée par les Lois No. 72-852 du 21 décembre 1972 et No. 2004-662 du 17 décembre 2004 et les Décisions No. 2005-03/PR du 15 juillet 2005 et No. 2005-09/PR du 29 août 2005. 19