Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, currently on a private visit to France, is expected at the Élysée Palace later on Wednesday for talks with President Emmanuel Macron.
This comes just over three months ahead of presidential election in Ivory Coast.
Although his party—the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP)—nominated him as its presidential candidate during its second elective congress in June and reappointed him as party leader, Ouattara has not yet confirmed whether he will seek a new term when his country goes to the polls on 25 October.
This diplomatic meeting comes as the candidate sponsorship process—a prerequisite for eligibility—has been underway since 1 July and is set to close on 26 August 2025. Upon returning to Abidjan, President Ouattara is expected to promptly mobilise his supporters to announce his decision and allow the RHDP to prepare for the presidential race.
The political climate in Côte d’Ivoire is currently tense. Former President Laurent Gbagbo and opposition leader Tidjane Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), have both been struck from the electoral roll but remain determined to run, raising serious concerns.
Laurent Gbagbo, leader of the African People’s Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), told supporters in Abidjan that President Ouattara is constitutionally ineligible for a fourth term, openly declaring: “We will do everything to ensure he is not a candidate.”
Tidjane Thiam, former CEO of Credit Suisse and head of the PDCI—once the country’s ruling party—has been in France for several weeks, holding discreet meetings to persuade the authorities in Abidjan to reinstate him on the electoral register.
The opposition is demanding structural reform of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) to ensure its impartiality, along with the urgent launch of an inclusive political dialogue involving all political forces and civil society to guarantee peaceful, credible, and democratic elections.
It is also calling for the reinstatement of Laurent Gbagbo, Tidjane Thiam, Guillaume Soro, and Charles Blé Goudé on the electoral list, as well as a review of the 2025 voter register in accordance with electoral law.
AP/sf/lb/as/APA