Alassane Ouattara, 83, the president of Ivory Coast, declared Tuesday that he will run for a fourth term in the October 25 election, citing health, constitutional authorization, and the growing problems facing the nation. Although his ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party formally nominated Ouattara, who has been in power since 2011, he had not yet announced his candidacy.
He stated that the world’s leading cocoa producer was “facing unprecedented security, economic, and monetary challenges, the management of which requires experience.” He added, “I am a candidate because the constitution of our country allows me to run for another term and my health permits it.”
His decision comes amid charges that opposition leaders are being unfairly banned from the contest through legal procedures, which the government disputes, and criticism of his expanding hold on power.
Due to criminal convictions or concerns with nationality, prominent opposition figures such as Tidjane Thiam, Guillaume Soro, Laurent Gbagbo, and Charles Ble Goude have been excluded.
Thiam’s Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) and Gbagbo’s African People’s Party of Ivory Coast (PPACI) have responded by launching a coordinated campaign calling for their restoration.
Ouattara’s political career began under the late President Houphouet-Boigny and included key positions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and West Africa’s BCEAO bank. He endured political restrictions in 1995 and 2000 and returned from exile to win the president in 2010 following a fatal post-election conflict with Gbagbo.
Ouattara controversially gained a third term in 2020 as the opposition boycotted the election, despite the constitution’s two-term restriction. Ahead of the polls, his most recent attempt is expected to exacerbate political tensions.
