Côte d’Ivoire’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire – African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA), has vehemently denounced President Alassane Ouattara’s announcement to seek a fourth presidential term.
The party argues that this move constitutes a “forced presidential bid” and a clear violation of the Ivorian Constitution.
In a statement signed by Simon Doho, special advisor to PDCI-RDA Chairman Tidjane Thiam, the party declared, “The PDCI-RDA can only be outraged by this new autocratic drift and categorically rejects Mr. Alassane Ouattara’s fourth candidacy.” The opposition emphasized that Article 55 of the Ivorian Constitution explicitly limits the number of presidential terms to two five-year mandates, asserting that “any attempt to exceed this limit constitutes a flagrant violation of our Fundamental Law.”
The PDCI-RDA recalled that President Ouattara had solemnly affirmed before Congress on March 5, 2020, that he would not seek a new term. His subsequent reversal, justified by “force majeure,” paved the way for a controversial third term, which the party noted was obtained “at the cost of serious political and social tensions and loss of life.”
“Second violation of fundamental law”
“Today, the announcement of a fourth term marks a new attempt at forcing his way through the election, that is, a second violation of the fundamental law,” the PDCI-RDA stated. The party believes that this “personal project, which has no ambition for the Ivorian people, seeks to impose itself in defiance of the law and his given word. It constitutes a direct threat to social peace, national cohesion, and the institutional stability of our country.”
The opposition reiterated that, based on Ouattara’s own past statements, as well as those from the Minister of Justice and members of the commission responsible for drafting the new constitution, this candidacy “does not respect our country’s Constitution, is at odds with the republican spirit, and constitutes a serious affront to the sovereignty of the people.”
Alassane Ouattara was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2015. He was then reappointed for a third term in 2020, following a Constitutional Council ruling that the 2016 revision of the Constitution reset the presidential term counter to zero.
President Ouattara officially announced his intention to run in the Ivorian presidential election on October 25, 2025, via a video message broadcast on television and social media this Thursday, July 29, 2025.
AP/Sf/fss/abj/APA