Ivory Coast Electoral Commission Excludes Four Opposition Figures from October Presidential Election
Four prominent opposition leaders have been excluded from Ivory Coast’s final electoral list, officials announced Wednesday, disqualifying them from contesting—or even voting in—the October 25 presidential election.
The barred figures include: Tidjane Thiam, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (PDCI), removed over a court challenge to his nationality, Laurent Gbagbo, former president convicted in 2018 for embezzlement, Charles Blé Goudé, Gbagbo’s ex-youth minister serving a 20-year sentence, Guillaume Soro, exiled former PM convicted in absentia for plotting a coup
The exclusions leave President Alassane Ouattara, 83, with a cleared path should he seek a fourth term after landslide wins in 2015 and 2020. The incumbent remains on the voter roll but hasn’t declared his intentions.
Thiam, a former Credit Suisse CEO, denounced his exclusion as proof of Ivory Coast’s “total absence of democracy” and has petitioned the UN Human Rights Committee. His lawyer called the move “a grave violation” of the country’s international commitments.
Gbagbo’s PPA-CI party accused authorities of ignoring calls for dialogue. “They chose force over reason,” said secretary-general Jean-Gervais Tcheide, vowing resistance.
Electoral Commission head Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly ruled out revising the 8.7 million-voter register, urging respect for court rulings to “end all disagreement.” The decision contrasts with 2020, when the list was adjusted months before voting.
The government denies interference, with ruling RHDP party officials stating: “This is about law, not politics. Let them appeal in court if dissatisfied.”
Meanwhile, Simone Gbagbo, the ex-president’s wife now leading an opposition coalition, warned conditions aren’t ripe for a fair vote. Analysts fear the exclusions could reignite tensions in a nation still recovering from 2010-11 post-election violence that killed 3,000.
