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A major opposition alliance in Ivory Coast has renewed its call for political talks with the government ahead of the country’s presidential election scheduled for 25 October, aiming to secure the participation of several candidates currently barred from contesting.
Four leading opposition figures have been excluded from the electoral roll, effectively disqualifying them from running in the upcoming poll. Among them is Charles Blé Goudé, who on Monday emphasised the coalition’s commitment to dialogue with the authorities.
“We remain resolute in our pursuit of dialogue,” Blé Goudé told journalists. “If we want a peaceful election, we must address our differences, overhaul the electoral institutions, and guarantee transparency as a fundamental condition.”
Blé Goudé’s political party, COJEP, is a member of the Coalition for a Peaceful Alternation—a grouping of 24 opposition parties. The alliance is expected to hold its first major gathering this Saturday near Abidjan, the country’s commercial hub.
Though a meeting with the ruling party is anticipated in the coming weeks, the government has so far dismissed the idea of reopening political dialogue, maintaining that such talks already took place three years ago.
The coalition is pushing for changes to the electoral register to allow excluded candidates to be reinstated, and for reforms to the independent electoral commission, which they claim lacks credibility.
Those barred from contesting include former president Laurent Gbagbo, who was convicted in absentia, and PDCI leader Tidjane Thiam, who was disqualified over questions surrounding his nationality.
President Alassane Ouattara, who has been in power since 2011, has not yet been officially chosen as his party’s candidate but has suggested he is willing to extend his time in office, stating a desire to “continue to serve the country.”
