Ivory Coast’s Opposition Parties Demand Inclusion in October Election

Ivory Coast’s two principal opposition parties have formed a “common front” to call for the reinstatement of their leaders, who have been banned from participating in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for October 25.

The political atmosphere in Ivory Coast has been fraught with tension following court decisions that disqualified several key opposition figures from the vote. President Alassane Ouattara is widely expected to pursue a controversial fourth term.

The alliance unites the African People’s Party–Ivory Coast (PPA-CI), led by former president Laurent Gbagbo, and the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), headed by former international banker Tidjane Thiam.

Thiam, speaking via video link from abroad, emphasised the need for the opposition to pool their resources and present a united front: “We are uniting our forces so the government hears the message of Ivorians at a time when the future of our country is truly at stake.”

He warned that without action, the election risked losing both legitimacy and credibility.

Beyond reinstating the excluded candidates, the coalition has called on the government to initiate political dialogue and reform the electoral commission overseeing the election.

These demands mirror those of a broader 20-party coalition formed earlier this year that includes the PDCI but not the PPA-CI. Relations between Gbagbo and some members of that alliance, such as his ex-wife Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, remain strained.

Notably, the prospect of nominating a single opposition candidate is not currently part of their agenda.

Gbagbo also publicly criticised Ouattara’s anticipated fourth-term bid, denouncing it as a threat to democracy. “If we do not give others the capacity to fight for power, it is no longer democracy,” he said.

He condemned the perceived attempts to revert to a single-party system and vowed to continue opposing Ouattara’s mandate.

The government, meanwhile, maintains that the disqualification of opposition candidates was the result of independent judicial rulings rather than political interference.