Gbagbo, 3 Other Opposition Candidates Blocked From Contesting Presidential Election In Ivory Coast

Laurent Gbagbo

Source: Africa Publicity

Former Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo – who is seeking a return to power – has together with three other opposition candidates been blocked from contesting in the upcoming October 2025 Presidential election in Cote D’Ivoire.

The three other opposition candidates barred from the race are Tijane Thiam, Charles Blè Goude, and Guillaume Soro.

The October electoral list was published in its final version this week.

Tijane Thiam is the leader of Cote D’Ivoire’s Democratic Party, currently the main opposition party in the West African nation. He was earlier in April blocked from contesting in the upcoming election after controversy over his French nationality, and the decision has become final.

Soro, a former Prime Minister, is currently in exile. He and Mr. Gbagbo have not been on the electoral list for several years as a result of criminal convictions after the Ivorian civil war which saw the killing of thousands of people.

Not only are the four opposition figures blocked from running for office, but they are equally barred from voting in the elections.

But Thiam says he intends to challenge the decision, announcing that he will file a complaint with the United Nations rights commission.