Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons
YAMOUSSOUKRO – When I announced my candidacy for the presidency of Côte d’Ivoire earlier this year, I had certain expectations of what the campaign would entail: long journeys to meet voters in small towns, spirited debates with my opponents on national television, and late nights poring over polling data.
Six months later, those expectations seem quaint. With October’s presidential election approaching, the electoral process has become entangled in endless legal battles. Instead of engaging with voters on the campaign trail, I have had to spend too much of my time confined to meeting rooms, surrounded by legal advisers.
In May, my name was removed from the ballot after a court ruled that the French citizenship I held at the time I announced my candidacy invalidated my Ivorian citizenship. This ruling enforced a legal provision that, despite having existed since 1961, had never been applied to any dual national. As a result, I was declared ineligible to run for or hold high office.
Although I renounced my French citizenship in March, the Independent Electoral Commission (ICE) claims it was too late and insists that there is not enough time before the October presidential election to reinstate my name on the ballot. This position is especially confounding, given that I am far from a fringe candidate. In 2023, I was elected leader of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast-African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA), the country’s main opposition party, with 96.5% of the delegates’ votes. Multiple polls suggest I would win a head-to-head race against President Alassane Ouattara, should he choose to run for a fourth term.
I am not the only opposition leader being forced out of the race. Also excluded from the recently finalized electoral list are former President Laurent Gbagbo, his longtime ally Charles Blé Goudé, and exiled former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. Together with my disqualification, these exclusions have led many observers to question whether the October election can truly be considered competitive. READ MORE…
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