President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast has confirmed he will seek a fourth term in the upcoming October election. In a public statement, the 83 year old leader said his health remains strong and cited national stability as the driving reason behind his decision.
Ouattara contends that the 2016 constitutional reform effectively reset presidential term limits, allowing him to run again. He is currently the leading candidate, partly due to the disqualification of several prominent rivals.
Among those barred from entering the race are former President Laurent Gbagbo, ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, and former minister Tidjane Thiam. Following the announcement, Thiam and other opposition figures voiced strong objections, calling Ouattara’s bid unconstitutional and harmful to democratic progress.
On the same day the president announced his candidacy, authorities prohibited an opposition led protest scheduled for 7 August. The rally was intended to demand an independent audit of the voter register and the reinstatement of banned candidates.
Ouattara hopes his leadership record and economic achievements including four consecutive years of 6%+ growth will secure voter support. Nonetheless, public dissatisfaction with the political system remains high. Memories of past electoral unrest, such as the deadly post election crisis of 2010–2011 and the conflict surrounding his third term run in 2020, continue to cast a long shadow.
With over 8.7 million registered voters, religious and civil society groups, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, have voiced concern about increasing political polarization.
