Overview

• President Alassane Ouattara formally announced on July 29 that he will seek a fourth term in the October 25 election, citing constitutional permission and his health to address ongoing challenges.
• A 2016 referendum removed presidential term limits and reset the count of Ouattara’s mandates, enabling his bid despite earlier pledges to step down.
• Ivory Coast’s judiciary has ruled Laurent Gbagbo, Charles Blé Goudé, Guillaume Soro and Tidjane Thiam ineligible to run, citing criminal convictions and nationality issues.
• With the field narrowed by these disqualifications, Ouattara emerges as the clear front-runner in a race critics warn lacks meaningful competition.
• Opposition parties PPACI and PDCI have united in a joint campaign demanding the return of their excluded leaders, accusing authorities of undermining democratic norms.