ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Four high-profile opposition leaders have been officially barred from contesting Ivory Coast’s upcoming presidential election, the country’s Electoral Commission confirmed, a move that has sparked accusations of political exclusion and democratic erosion ahead of the pivotal October vote.
The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) said the final electoral list excludes key candidates, including Tidjane Thiam, leader of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), former President Laurent Gbagbo, his ally Charles Blé Goudé, and ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. None of the four will be permitted to run or vote in the October 25 election.
CEI President Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly also announced that no revisions will be made to the electoral register before the vote, shutting the door on any appeals to reinstate disqualified candidates.
“This elimination from the electoral list is a sad but eloquent example of Ivory Coast’s drift towards a total absence of democracy,” Thiam said in a statement on Wednesday. Once considered the primary challenger to incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, Thiam was removed from the list in April after a court ruled him ineligible due to his past French citizenship. Thiam, who was born in Ivory Coast and acquired French nationality in 1987, renounced it in March but remains disqualified.
The CEI’s decision has triggered legal appeals and political pushback from affected candidates. Thiam’s legal team filed a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee, calling the disqualification “a serious violation of Ivory Coast’s international commitments,” according to a statement by his lawyer Mathias Chichportich.
Gbagbo’s African Peoples’ Party–Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) also denounced the exclusion. “Authorities did not choose to listen to the advice, the calls for discussion, for reason,” said Jean-Gervais Tcheidé, the party’s secretary-general. “It’s a shame they chose to force their way through. We’re not going to let them do it.”
Gbagbo and Blé Goudé face legal restrictions linked to their prosecution by the International Criminal Court over crimes related to the country’s post-election violence. Meanwhile, Soro, a former rebel leader, remains in exile and was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for allegedly orchestrating a coup.
Former First Lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, who remains on the electoral register, criticized the conditions for the election, warning that they are not conducive to a “peaceful, calm election.” Speaking on behalf of an opposition coalition, she said the exclusion of prominent rivals raises serious doubts about the credibility of the process.
During the last presidential election in 2020, Ivory Coast conducted a voter list revision in June, months ahead of the polls. In contrast, CEI officials now say no such revision will occur before October’s election. The final voter register includes 8.7 million names in a country with a population nearing 30 million, nearly half of whom are under 18.
Authorities have rejected accusations of political interference, insisting that the judiciary operates independently. The government has made no comment on whether President Ouattara, who has ruled since 2011 and won previous elections with over 80% of the vote, will seek a fourth term.
While some opposition candidates remain eligible to run, the exclusion of major figures has deepened political divides in a country still recovering from years of conflict, coups, and post-election violence.
