Laurent Gbagbo submits presidential candidacy amid electoral controversy
The African People’s Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) formally submitted the candidacy of former President Laurent Gbagbo for the October 25 presidential election on Monday, August 25, 2025.
Party Executive President Sébastien Dano Djédjé led a delegation to the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) headquarters in Cocody, where hundreds of enthusiastic supporters gathered in a show of solidarity.
Djédjé announced that Gbagbo’s nomination was validated with endorsements from 27 of the required 33 regions far exceeding the minimum threshold of 17.
He emphasized the need for transparent, inclusive, and peaceful elections, framing the submission as the culmination of efforts since the PPA-CI’s founding in 2021.
Despite Gbagbo’s removal from the electoral roll due to a prior conviction related to the BCEAO affair, the PPA-CI maintains him as its official candidate.
A provisional nomination by Ahoua Don Mello was rejected after he opted to run independently.
This move follows the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire’s (PDCI) submission of its ineligible leader Tidjane Thiam’s candidacy a day earlier.
Both parties have formed a united front to challenge what they deem an unconstitutional potential fourth term for incumbent President Alassane Ouattara.
