Thousands of Ivorians took to the streets in Abidjan, the nation’s capital, to protest against the recent exclusion of several opposition leaders from the upcoming presidential election. Ivory Coast, a nation of 32 million people and the largest economy in francophone West Africa, is currently scheduled to hold its presidential vote in October.
Earlier this year, four main opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, were officially barred from running by the nation’s electoral commission. Protesters gathered in the densely populated suburb of Yopougon on Saturday, holding banners with powerful messages such as “Enough is enough!” and “No true democracy without true justice.”
Gbagbo and Thiam joined forces earlier this year to challenge incumbent President Alassane Ouattara’s highly controversial candidacy for a fourth presidential term. The 83-year-old leader announced last month that he would seek a fourth presidential term, a move that is being widely contested by opposition groups nationwide.
Ouattara’s candidacy is heavily contested because he changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits, a move that has drawn strong criticism. Activist Sagesse Divine demanded a revised electoral roll, stating, “We don’t want a fourth term… we want to go to the elections in peace.”
Thiam was barred from running on the grounds that he was a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, which is a violation of Ivorian law. Ouattara justified his decision to run again by citing unprecedented security, economic, and monetary challenges that require his experienced leadership to manage.
Elections in Ivory Coast have historically been fraught with tension and violence, with several people being killed during Ouattara’s previous third-term bid. Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who are extending their time in power by changing constitutional term limits.