Côte d’Ivoire: 2025 presidential election, a tense vote without Gbagbo or Thiam
On Monday 8 September, the Ivorian Constitutional Council rejected the candidacies of Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam in the 25 October presidential election, citing their removal from the electoral roll.
This decision, based on case law requiring voters to be eligible to stand for election, removes two major opposition figures and strengthens the position of outgoing President Alassane Ouattara, now the favourite for a fourth term.
Laurent Gbagbo has been excluded due to a court conviction, while Tidjane Thiam, who was removed in April for nationality issues, denounced in a statement an “organised plebiscite” in favour of the head of state.
Of the 60 applications submitted, only five candidates were accepted, including Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, Jean-Louis Billon, Henriette Lagou and Ahoua Don Mello.
The political climate remains tense in Abidjan and several other cities across the country.
The opposition has criticised the election as rigged and uninclusive, while the outgoing president, who has been in power for 14 years, is heading into an election marked by the absence of his main opponents.
