Ivory Coast president, 83, eyes fourth term

Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara said on Tuesday he will run for a fourth term in the West African nation’s presidential election on October 25.

Ouattara, 83, was re-elected for a contested third term in 2020 after previously saying that he would like to step down. However, he signaled in January that he wanted to continue as president.

Ouattara argues a new constitution approved in 2016 reset his two-term limit, meaning he is allowed to stand.

“The constitution of our country allows me to serve another term, and my health permits it,” Ouattara, who was first elected president in the world’s top cocoa producing nation in 2010, said in a video message on his X account.

In a statement, the 83-year-old said his health was not an issue and his candidacy was driven by a need to “preserve national stability amid ongoing security and economic challenges”.

“I am running for office because our country is facing unprecedented security, economic, and monetary challenges that require experience to manage,” he said.

Justifying why he decided to go back on his earlier promise not to seek another term, he said, “Duty sometimes transcends a promise that was made in good faith.”

“This is why after thoughtful consideration, and in all conscience, I’m announcing today that I’ve decided to be a candidate in the presidential election of 25 October 2025,” Ouattara said.

Former banker Ouattara will be hoping his track record propels him to victory in October – for four successive years Ivory Coast’s economy has grown by more than 6%.

However, the country is currently experiencing widespread disillusionment with the country’s political establishment.

Current tension over the exclusion of opposition candidates evokes memories of past electoral violence, including the 2010-2011 conflict that left over 3,000 dead and the unrest triggered by Ouattara’s controversial third-term bid in 2020.

Ouattara is expected to lead in the polls since many potential opponents have already been disqualified from the race.

Among those excluded are former President Laurent Gbagbo, ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, and former Minister of Planning and Development, Tidjane Thiam.

Earlier this year, a court ruled that Thiam was not eligible to run because of his dual Ivorian-French nationality, a decision that Thiam vowed to fight.

Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam received French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March.

Gbagbo was charged with crimes against humanity related to the civil war, and the former prime minister and rebel leader Soro was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for organising a coup.

On Tuesday, Thiam and other opposition leaders denounced Ouattara’s decision to run.

“Today’s announcement by Mr Ouattara constitutes a violation of our Constitution and a new attack on democracy,” Thiam said in a statement.

“The Ivorian people will continue to make their voices heard and show the world what we think of this situation.”

On the same day Ouattara announced his bid, authorities banned a peaceful protest planned for 7 August.

The demonstration was organised by opposition groups in order to demand the reinstatement of disqualified presidential candidates and an independent audit of the voter list.

More than 8.7 million Ivorians have registered to vote. Civil society groups and religious leaders, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, have expressed alarm at growing political polarisation in the country.