Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, who leads the opposition African People’s Party-Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) has been explaining the reasons for snubbing the legislative elections, a move
that allows the ruling RHDP party to gain more ground on the political scene.
Following a meeting of the Central Committee, the PPA-CI’s decision-making body, held under the effective chairmanship of Mr. Gbagbo, the party leadership decided “not to participate in the
upcoming legislative elections” scheduled for December 27, 2025.
The Central Committee cited at least two main reasons, including “the conditions for credible elections are not met (and) the deteriorating socio-political environment is not conducive to them (repression, persecution, judicial harassment).”
The African People’s Party-Côte d’Ivoire also decided not to recognise the results of the presidential election of October 25, 2025, which resulted in the re-election of Alassane Ouattara for a fourth term deemed “unconstitutional” by his critics.
This move is “in line with previous analyses by the PPA-CI, which denounces the authoritarian seizure of state power by a political minority, backed by a subservient institutional apparatus, in
contempt of the principles of pluralism, justice, and transparency,” the Central Committee claimed.
It hled that “the repeated practices of electoral manipulation, the persistent bias of oversight institutions, and the ongoing repression of the opposition are the warning signs of a new electoral heist in the making.”
Laurent Gbagbo also congratulated activists of the PPA-CI and the Ivorian people for their massive and determined participation in the demonstrations against the fourth-term project, which began on October 11, 2025.
He paid “a vibrant tribute to the victims of the repression, expressing his solidarity with the wounded, his moral support for political prisoners, and his deepest condolences to the bereaved
families,” recalling that “the struggle for democracy, freedom, and the sovereignty of the Ivorian people remains an ethical, political, and historical imperative.”
The party leadership praised “Laurent Gbagbo’s strategic vision and consistency in his commitment to electoral transparency, as demonstrated in his interview with AFO-MEDIA on October 23, 2025,
which helped to repoliticise the public debate and strengthen civic awareness in the face of the authoritarian excesses of the current regime.”
This media intervention played a decisive role in the ensuing national mobilisation, exposing the fraudulent and fabricated nature of the electoral process, a veritable institutional heist, the Central
Committee emphasised.
“The Central Committee strongly condemns the brutal repression unleashed upon peaceful demonstrators, causing numerous human and material losses, particularly in the village of Nahio (West), now a symbol of martyrdom and popular resistance,” the statement added.
The executive leadership presented a detailed report on the demonstrations and their political, social, and humanitarian consequences. The Central Committee commended the initiative of the
PPA-CI, which “sent delegations to the bereaved families, demonstrating the PPA-CI’s active solidarity with all victims of the repression.”
In the same vein, the Central Committee expressed “its total and unwavering support for political prisoners, unjustly incarcerated for their commitment to democracy and national sovereignty,” while condemning “the arbitrary and illegal detention of these compatriots and demanding their immediate, full, and unconditional release from the current authorities.”
The Central Committee particularly denounced the reasons for the arrest of the Vice-President of the PPA-CI, Damana Adia, known as Pickass, which it considers “unjust, politically motivated, and
contrary to the rule of law. The party has retained lawyers for his defense.”
It demanded his “immediate and unconditional release.”
The opposition Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), chaired by the former CEO of Credit Suisse, Tidjane Thiam, an ally of the PPA-CI for the presidential election of October 25, 2025, has nevertheless decided to participate in the legislative elections.
AP/Sf/fss/as/APA