Ivory Coast’s President Ouattara announces re-election bid amid massive protests
Thousands of Ivorians marched in Abidjan, especially in the Yopougon suburb, to protest President Alassane Ouattara’s bid for a fourth term in the October 2025 presidential election.
Protesters carried banners with slogans like “Enough is enough!” and “No true democracy without true justice” to express their opposition to his candidacy and demand electoral reforms.
President Ouattara, 83 years old and in power since 2010, announced last month his intention to run for a fourth term after having changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits.
This move is highly contested, as several key opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, have been barred from running by the electoral commission — a main grievance fueling the protests.
The protesters demand the revision of the electoral roll to include all candidates, the re-insertion of excluded opposition leaders, and electoral commission reforms to ensure free and fair elections.
They emphasize wanting peaceful elections and reject Ouattara’s fourth term on grounds of democratic principles.
This situation resulted to tensions in Ivory Coast, where elections have historically been marked by unrest and violence, and is part of a regional trend in West Africa where some leaders extend their stay in power by altering term limits.
The protests in Abidjan indicate fiace public resistance to Ouattara’s continued presidency and the exclusion of opposition candidates from the political process.
