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France 24
a day ago
- Politics
- France 24
I. Coast president Ouattara tapped to run for fourth term
Ouattara himself has not yet confirmed whether or not he will run for a fourth term as president of the west African country. But delegates accepted his candidacy after Patrick Achi, head of the congress of the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), proposed him in the president's absence. His nomination comes after weeks of rising political tensions triggered by the courts' barring of several opposition politicians from the October 25 election. Ouattara's critics, who accuse the US-trained economist of creeping authoritarianism, fiercely oppose his possible candidacy. Ivory Coast's two main opposition parties on Thursday announced a "common front" to demand that their leaders, banned from October presidential polls, be allowed to stand. It brings together the African People's Party -- Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) of former president Laurent Gbagbo and former international banker Tidjane Thiam's Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), the country's largest opposition force. Gbagbo, whose contesting of the 2010 vote which saw Ouattara elected triggered violence which killed 3,000 people, is among the politicians the courts have struck off the list of candidates for president. 'Continue the adventure' Whether Ouattara will run again is the question on everyone's lips in the west African nation. Ouattara, who will turn 84 in January, has maintained the suspense for months. A comment made in January that he was "eager to continue serving" the country has so far been the only clue he is considering a fourth term. Ouattara is on Sunday due to address a major meeting at the Ebimpe stadium, where Ivory Coast's footballers won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024. His supporters see the head of state, who made a career as an economist for the International Monetary Fund before turning to politics, as a beacon of stability. They loudly cheered his nomination on Saturday, chanting his nickname "Ado" after his initials. "He has to accept and listen to the cries of his children who are calling on him to continue the adventure," said Honore Adom, who came to the congress from the eastern Indenie-Djuablin region. "He has so pleased us that he must finish the works that he has begun," Lassana Kone, who travelled from Gbeke in central Ivory Coast, told AFP. 'Envy of many' Before the thousands gathered at the congress in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital, the RHDP's leadership hailed Ouattara's stewardship of the country. On his watch Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, has seen seven-percent economic growth nearly every year. "Ivory Coast has made major advances on the economic, social and cultural fronts, with sustained growth that has made us the envy of many," said Vice President Tiemoko Meyliet Kone. Equipment minister Amedee Koffi Kouakou said Ouattara had made the country "a haven of peace" in an often restive region. Yet the president's critics have pointed to the striking-off of his potential opponents from running in the upcoming vote as evidence of Ouattara's increasing abuses of power. Besides ex-president Gbagbo, the courts have also prevented his former right-hand man Charles Ble Goude and ex-prime minister Guillaume Soro from taking part in the race on legal grounds. The PDCI's Thiam, who has been outside Ivory Coast since the middle of March, is barred for issues of nationality. The authorities have insisted that the decisions were taken by the independent courts, denying any political intervention in the electoral processes. © 2025 AFP
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
I. Coast President Ouattara Tapped To Run For Fourth Term
Ivory Coast leader Alassane Ouattara's party on Saturday tapped him to run for president again, two days after the country's two main opposition parties joined forces to fight his possible candidacy. Ouattara himself has not yet confirmed whether or not he will run for a fourth term as president of the west African country. But delegates accepted his candidacy after Patrick Achi, head of the congress of the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), proposed him in the president's absence. His nomination comes after weeks of rising political tensions triggered by the courts' barring of several opposition politicians from the October 25 election. Ouattara's critics, who accuse the US-trained economist of creeping authoritarianism, fiercely oppose his possible candidacy. Ivory Coast's two main opposition parties on Thursday announced a "common front" to demand that their leaders, banned from October presidential polls, be allowed to stand. It brings together the African People's Party -- Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) of former president Laurent Gbagbo and former international banker Tidjane Thiam's Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), the country's largest opposition force. Gbagbo, whose contesting of the 2010 vote which saw Ouattara elected triggered violence which killed 3,000 people, is among the politicians the courts have struck off the list of candidates for president. Whether Ouattara will run again is the question on everyone's lips in the west African nation. Ouattara, who will turn 84 in January, has maintained the suspense for months. A comment made in January that he was "eager to continue serving" the country has so far been the only clue he is considering a fourth term. Ouattara is on Sunday due to address a major meeting at the Ebimpe stadium, where Ivory Coast's footballers won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024. His supporters see the head of state, who made a career as an economist for the International Monetary Fund before turning to politics, as a beacon of stability. They loudly cheered his nomination on Saturday, chanting his nickname "Ado" after his initials. "He has to accept and listen to the cries of his children who are calling on him to continue the adventure," said Honore Adom, who came to the congress from the eastern Indenie-Djuablin region. "He has so pleased us that he must finish the works that he has begun," Lassana Kone, who travelled from Gbeke in central Ivory Coast, told AFP. Before the thousands gathered at the congress in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital, the RHDP's leadership hailed Ouattara's stewardship of the country. On his watch Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, has seen seven-percent economic growth nearly every year. "Ivory Coast has made major advances on the economic, social and cultural fronts, with sustained growth that has made us the envy of many," said Vice President Tiemoko Meyliet Kone. Equipment minister Amedee Koffi Kouakou said Ouattara had made the country "a haven of peace" in an often restive region. Yet the president's critics have pointed to the striking-off of his potential opponents from running in the upcoming vote as evidence of Ouattara's increasing abuses of power. Besides ex-president Gbagbo, the courts have also prevented his former right-hand man Charles Ble Goude and ex-prime minister Guillaume Soro from taking part in the race on legal grounds. The PDCI's Thiam, who has been outside Ivory Coast since the middle of March, is barred for issues of nationality. The authorities have insisted that the decisions were taken by the independent courts, denying any political intervention in the electoral processes. Ouattara's supporters see him as a beacon of stability AFP Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has not yet confirmed whether will run for a fourth term AFP
Arabian Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arabian Post
Ouattara Girds for Fourth Term Amid Opposition Clampdown
Abidjan is bracing for a highly polarised presidential election scheduled for 25 October 2025, as President Alassane Ouattara's ruling party moves to endorse his expected bid for a fourth term. Meanwhile, key opposition figures have been barred from the ballot, prompting protests and allegations of democratic erosion. Official party channels have circulated motions affirming Ouattara, 83, as their preferred candidate under the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace. He has indicated his health and determination to continue serving, yet the formal declaration remains pending. The RHDP's decision follows a precedent set in 2024, when senior members asserted there was 'no viable candidate other than Ouattara'. The electoral landscape has sharply shifted in the past weeks. On 4 June, the Independent Electoral Commission finalised its candidate list, excluding four high-profile figures: former opposition leader Tidjane Thiam, ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, Charles Blé Goudé and ex–prime minister Guillaume Soro, citing legal and constitutional constraints. Thiam, who renounced his French citizenship earlier this year, was removed on grounds that he forfeited his Ivorian nationality, a legal interpretation contested by his party. ADVERTISEMENT Thiam's supporters responded in Abidjan, with thousands rallying in inclement weather to demand his reinstatement. Displaying PDCI colours, they accused authorities of biased justice and pledged to challenge the decision domestically and through international mechanisms. In a statement, he stressed he remained committed to peaceful political participation, warning that excluding opposition actors could destabilise the country. The disqualification of other prominent opposition figures compounds political unrest. Gbagbo, who was acquitted by the International Criminal Court but remains barred due to domestic convictions, has decried the exclusion as undemocratic. The disputed electoral list has drawn sharp criticism from Simone Ehivet Gbagbo—former first lady and one of the few opposition candidates allowed to run—who described the electoral environment as unconducive to a 'peaceful, calm election'. The electoral register enrols 8.7 million voters in a nation of roughly 32 million, nearly half under 18. No revisions have been scheduled ahead of the vote, despite opposition demands. Critics argue the register excludes many young and rural voters, exacerbating representation concerns. 2010 and 2020 hold sombre reminders of electoral violence. The former saw over 3,000 deaths in civil unrest, and the latter witnessed deadly bouts of protest after Ouattara pursued a third term, despite term-limit controversy. The spectre of unrest looms once more as key challengers are removed and dissent escalates. Analysts highlight a fragmented opposition: PDCI is split between Thiam and Jean‑Louis Billon; FPI presents Pascal Affi N'Guessan; former rebel leader Guillaume Soro remains in exile; Simone Ehivet Gbagbo leads the MGC. This disunity may advantage the incumbent. International observers, including ECOWAS and the UN, have called for transparency in candidate vetting and voter registration. Foreign influence adds complexity. Ivory Coast's post-colonial ties with France remain under scrutiny, while security cooperation with Israel and the United States persists. Rising anti-French sentiment and praise for pan‑African sovereignty feed nationalist rhetoric across camps. President Ouattara asserts that a constitutional referendum in 2016 reset term limits, legitimising his third mandate—and potentially another. Opposition parties challenge this, asserting that a fourth term would breach democratic norms. As campaigning intensifies, the friction between institutional authority and popular sentiment escalates. The IU electoral schedule foresees campaigning through October, culminating in first- and potential runoff rounds. Both domestic and international actors are watching closely, wary that electoral mismanagement could reignite violence and undermine Côte d'Ivoire's role as a West African anchor of stability.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Main opposition leader removed from Ivory Coast electoral list
Ivory Coast's main opposition leader has been removed from the electoral roll by the judiciary which says he is ineligible to run in October's presidential election. Tidjane Thiam renounced his French citizenship in order to run for president, but a court argued on Thursday that the former Credit Suisse boss forfeited his Ivory Coast nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987. Thiam said the court's decision was an "act of democratic vandalism, which will disenfranchise millions of voters". His disqualification comes just a week after he was confirmed as the only contender for the centre-right Democratic Party - the PDCI. Last week Thiam was nominated as the PDCI's candidate after winning 5,321 votes out of 5,348 cast. The governing RHDP party has not yet announced its candidate, but the current president, 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara, is likely to run for what would be a fourth term in office. Three other prominent figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, have been barred from running. Reacting to the ruling. Thiam said: "It's no surprise that this court ruling comes as our support among voters continues to grow. "After 15 years in power, RHDP leaders are running scared. They want to monopolise power rather than face the judgement of the electorate." After becoming the first Ivorian to pass the entrance exam to France's prestigious Polytechnique engineering school, he returned to Ivory Coast and took up politics. In 1998, aged 36, he became planning minister before the PDCI was ousted from power in a coup the following year. He then moved abroad and pursued a largely successful business career. Thiam has held senior positions in leading international businesses like Aviva, Prudential and Credit Suisse, though he quit from the latter in 2020 following a spying scandal - although he has been cleared of any involvement.
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Tidjane Thiam: Ex-banker removed from Ivory Coast electoral roll
Ivory Coast's main opposition leader has been removed from the electoral roll by the judiciary which says he is ineligible to run in October's presidential Thiam renounced his French citizenship in order to run for president, but a court argued on Thursday that the former Credit Suisse boss forfeited his Ivory Coast nationality when he acquired French citizenship in said the court's decision was an "act of democratic vandalism, which will disenfranchise millions of voters".His disqualification comes just a week after he was confirmed as the only contender for the centre-right Democratic Party - the PDCI. Last week Thiam was nominated as the PDCI's candidate after winning 5,321 votes out of 5,348 governing RHDP party has not yet announced its candidate, but the current president, 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara, is likely to run for what would be a fourth term in other prominent figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, have been barred from to the ruling. Thiam said: "It's no surprise that this court ruling comes as our support among voters continues to grow."After 15 years in power, RHDP leaders are running scared. They want to monopolise power rather than face the judgement of the electorate." After becoming the first Ivorian to pass the entrance exam to France's prestigious Polytechnique engineering school, he returned to Ivory Coast and took up 1998, aged 36, he became planning minister before the PDCI was ousted from power in a coup the following then moved abroad and pursued a largely successful business has held senior positions in leading international businesses like Aviva, Prudential and Credit Suisse, though he quit from the latter in 2020 following a spying scandal - although he has been cleared of any involvement.
