Ivory Coast: The CEI unveils the electoral calendar for the December 2025 legislative elections
A little over two months before the Ivorian presidential election scheduled for October 25, 2025, the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) announced on August 14 that legislative elections would be held on December 27, 2025. This announcement comes amid a tense political climate and a strict constitutional framework.
The president of the CEI, Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, recalled the legal provisions governing the process: Article 90 of the Constitution and Article 66 of the Electoral Code require legislative elections to take place before the end of the deputies’ mandate, which expires on December 31, 2025. This legal clarification leaves no institutional ambiguity. The parliamentary transition must occur on time, with the official opening set for January 19, 2026.
However, the often-raised concern of overlapping elections appears to have been addressed. The CEI plans to open the submission of legislative candidacies after the announcement of the provisional results of the presidential election, scheduled no later than October 30. Although tight, this electoral sequence provides a degree of clarity.
On the ground, the CEI will assist candidates in obtaining administrative documents, a welcome measure in a system often burdened by bureaucracy. Nonetheless, the technical impossibility of revising the electoral roll before the end of the year could undermine the legitimacy of the vote.
The stability of Ivorian democracy now hangs in the balance. In a context of asserted political sovereignty, adherence to the constitutional timetable for the legislative elections stands as a strong marker of institutional maturity. However, transparency and inclusiveness will be essential to avoid a legitimacy crisis.
