Ousted Ivorian Leader Gbagbo Seeks Presidential Return

• Thousands gathered as former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo announced his bid to return to office, despite being ineligible
• Gbagbo seeks to represent the African People’s Party–Cote d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) but is barred due to a 20-year jail sentence

Thousands gathered on Saturday as former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo publicly announced his intention to reclaim the presidency despite being ineligible for candidacy.

Supporters from across the country assembled in Agboville, located 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Abidjan, to hear the 78-year-old Gbagbo address issues such as the high cost of living in a speech that spanned over two hours.

Gbagbo, who held office from 2000 to 2011, aims to represent the African People’s Party–Cote d’Ivoire (PPA-CI). However, his candidacy is barred due to a 20-year prison sentence for looting the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) during the violent post-election crisis of 2011, which claimed 3,000 lives.

Despite his acquittal by the International Criminal Court in 2021 for alleged human rights abuses during the crisis and subsequent pardon by President Alassane Ouattara for the BCEAO case, Gbagbo remains excluded from electoral lists due to the lack of amnesty.

Declaring his innocence, Gbagbo vowed to reveal documents in the coming days to unveil the truth.

In advocating for peace and cohesion, Bertin Kouassi Kouadio, the federal secretary of PPA-CI in Yopougon, emphasized the necessity of an amnesty law.

Gbagbo’s supporters have begun organizing for the upcoming elections, scheduled within 18 months. They demonstrated their solidarity through parades in Agboville, accompanied by traditional music and chants praising their “president.”

Eloge Paibo, the head of PPA-CI in Abidjan, described the rally as a means to “remobilize the troops.”

The mobilization aims to demonstrate Gbagbo’s electoral viability, asserted Ines Nadege Blezir, a longtime pro-Gbagbo activist. However, Gbagbo’s wider popularity remains uncertain, especially after PPA-CI’s limited success in the 2023 local elections.

Currently, Gbagbo is the sole heavyweight political figure to declare candidacy, while anticipation lingers regarding potential candidacies from other prominent figures, including Tidjane Thiam of the Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire (PDCI) and President Ouattara’s decision on seeking a fourth term.