Ivory Coast Opposition Launches Daily Protests Ahead of Election

By Al Mayadeen English

12 Oct 2025 15:34

Ivory Coast's opposition alliance has launched daily protests after top candidates Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam were barred from the presidential election.

Ivory Coast's main opposition parties have announced plans for daily demonstrations less than two weeks before a presidential election from which their top candidates have been excluded.

The alliance, known as The Common Front, which unites the country's two largest opposition groups, declared on Sunday that protests would continue "every day across the country until the demands for political dialogue are met." The coalition said the movement would press for "democracy, justice, and peace" despite a sweeping government ban on opposition gatherings.

The announcement came a day after police and soldiers dispersed demonstrators in Abidjan with tear gas during a march that authorities had prohibited just 24 hours earlier. According to Interior Minister Vagondo Diomande, at least 237 people were arrested during Saturday's unrest.

Crackdown on opposition

Earlier this month, the government imposed broad restrictions on rallies opposing President Alassane Ouattara's decision to run for a fourth term, a move critics call unconstitutional. Opposition leaders accused the administration of resorting to intimidation and violence to silence dissent.

"Demonstrations for democracy, justice, and peace will continue every day across the country until the demands for political dialogue are met," The Common Front said in its statement. Both Laurent Gbagbo, the former president, and Tidjane Thiam, leader of the largest opposition party, have been barred from contesting the October 25 election.

Their parties reported several injuries among supporters and vowed to maintain their campaign for fair elections, reaffirming their "firm determination not to be intimidated or distracted by the regime's brutal repression."

With Gbagbo and Thiam sidelined, the ballot will feature a weakened opposition field. President Ouattara, 83, is set to face former ministers Jean-Louis Billon and Ahoua Don Mello, as well as former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo and Henriette Lagou, who previously ran in 2015.