Ivory Coast heads to the polls on October 25, where President Alassane Ouattara is seeking a controversial fourth term in office. The West African nation — the world’s largest cocoa producer — faces a closely watched contest featuring several prominent opposition candidates. Here are the main challengers.
Simone Gbagbo
At 76, Simone Gbagbo, former first lady and ex-wife of former President Laurent Gbagbo, is one of the most recognizable figures in Ivorian politics. She rose to prominence during her husband’s presidency, which was marred by civil conflict between 2002 and 2007.
After Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to Ouattara in the disputed 2010 election, the ensuing violence claimed around 3,000 lives. The couple was arrested in 2011, and Simone was later sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against the state before receiving a presidential amnesty in 2018.
Now leading the Movement of Skilled Generations party, which she founded in 2022, Gbagbo has called for improved healthcare and job opportunities while acknowledging some of Ouattara’s infrastructure successes.
Jean-Louis Billon
Aged 60, Jean-Louis Billon is the candidate of the Democratic Congress, a coalition of 18 opposition parties and movements. A former trade minister, Billon previously sought to represent the main opposition PDCI but lost the bid after its leader, Tidjane Thiam, was barred from running due to dual nationality.
Billon has pledged to lift restrictions on dual citizenship, streamline the civil service, and combat corruption. He also advocates relocating more government offices to Yamoussoukro, the political capital. He has urged a generational shift in leadership, saying it is time for Ouattara, 83, and his peers to retire from politics.
Ahoua Don Mello
A 67-year-old former ally and spokesperson of Laurent Gbagbo, Ahoua Don Mello is contesting the election as an independent after being expelled from Gbagbo’s African People’s Party of Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) for entering the race.
With Gbagbo barred from running due to a prior conviction, Don Mello argues that participation is vital to prevent a repeat of 2020, when the opposition boycotted the polls and Ouattara won with 94% of the vote. He has called for abandoning the CFA franc and revising Ivory Coast’s defence agreements with France.
Critics accuse him of promoting pro-Russia views, but Don Mello has dismissed such claims, telling France 24 that he is not “Vladimir Putin’s man.”
Henriette Lagou Adjoua
Henriette Lagou Adjoua, 66, a former minister of social affairs and of women, families, and children, is positioning herself as a centrist voice for peace and reconciliation.
Running under the banner of the Group of Political Partners for Peace, Adjoua also contested the 2015 election, securing less than 1% of the vote. She has been a strong advocate for women’s political participation, most recently through her book “Why Not a Woman?”
At a recent campaign rally, Adjoua said, “The wounds of the past have not disappeared,” emphasizing the need for unity and inclusion in post-conflict Ivory Coast.
As the October 25 election approaches, analysts say Ouattara remains the frontrunner, but a fragmented opposition could still influence the political landscape — testing the country’s democratic resilience and commitment to peaceful competition.
Source:Africa Publicity
