Ivory Coast’s constitutional council has barred two top opposition figures, former president Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, from contesting the presidential election scheduled for 25 October, clearing the path for President Alassane Ouattara to seek a fourth term.
According to local media, the council, responsible for finalising the list of candidates, retained five contenders for the ballot but deemed Gbagbo and Thiam ineligible.
Thiam, former CEO of Credit Suisse and leader of the historically dominant PDCI party, was removed from the electoral register in April due to nationality-related legal issues after acquiring French citizenship.
Gbagbo, head of the African Peoples’ Party – Ivory Coast (PPA-CI), was excluded because of a criminal conviction.
Both men had formally submitted their bids in an attempt to unseat the 83-year-old incumbent.
“The Constitutional Council has consistently required the status of elector as a condition of eligibility,” said council president Chantal Nanaba Camara, declaring their candidacies “inadmissible.”
With the exclusion of these prominent opposition figures, Ouattara is set to face a significantly reduced field.
His challengers now include former first lady Simone Ehivet, Gbagbo’s ex-wife, as well as former ministers Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello, and Henriette Lagou, who also ran in the 2015 election.
The decision is likely to intensify political tensions in the country. Gbagbo remains a polarising figure following his 2011 trial at the International Criminal Court over charges related to post-election violence.
Thiam’s disqualification also weakens the main opposition coalition at a time when younger and more reform-minded voters are demanding political change.
Observers note that the move may prompt criticism from domestic and international actors who have called for transparent and inclusive electoral processes.
With the October vote approaching, Ivory Coast faces a fraught campaign period, as the ruling party consolidates power and opposition voices are sidelined.
