Ivory Coast/2025 Ivorian presidential election: the PPA-CI rejects Ouattara’s fourth term and supports Laurent Gbagbo

With three months to go before the Ivorian presidential election, tensions are rising among the main political actors. The African Peoples’ Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), the party of former president Laurent Gbagbo, has officially submitted written objections to the Constitutional Council. At the heart of the controversy is the legality of incumbent president Alassane Ouattara’s bid for a fourth term, which the PPA-CI deems “unconstitutional”, while defending the unquestionable legitimacy of Laurent Gbagbo’s candidacy.

Justin Koné Katinan, president of the PPA-CI’s Strategy and Policy Council, bases his objection on Articles 55 and 183 of the Ivorian Constitution. He recalls that the two-term limit, enshrined in both the 2000 and 2016 Constitutions, is clear and that previous terms must be counted. According to him, since Ouattara has already served two terms under the former Constitution, his eligibility to run again has been exhausted. The PPA-CI firmly rejects any legal interpretation suggesting a “reset” of terms with the adoption of the new Constitution, calling such reasoning a repeated violation of the fundamental law.

Furthermore, the PPA-CI emphasizes the full compliance of Laurent Gbagbo’s candidacy with constitutional requirements, notably regarding his age, nationality, and intact civil rights, in contrast to the implicit arguments of the ruling party, which has called for his “withdrawal”. This point crystallizes the standoff between the two camps and foreshadows a presidential campaign marked by intense political confrontation.

The role of the Constitutional Council is therefore at the heart of the stakes, caught between historical responsibility and political pressure. The institution is expected to rule swiftly on the admissibility of candidacies in order to prevent an escalation of tensions in an already strained political climate.