In the district of Yopougon in Abidjan, former First Lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo gathered hundreds of women under the scorching sun on Wednesday, October 22, for a spirited campaign rally centered on women’s empowerment and political mobilization. Dressed in the bright colors of her party the Generations Capables Movement (MGC), supporters filled the venue, chanting and waving banners as Gbagbo laid out her vision for Côte d’Ivoire’s future. “Everywhere she’s gone from the interior to Abidjan she’s been received with warmth and excitement,” said Dieng Ndeye Kady, the MGC’s Abidjan North Coordinator. “People are listening again. There’s real hope in her message.”
At 75, Simone Gbagbo a former lawmaker, political prisoner, and long-time figure in Ivorian politics is mounting a comeback ahead of the 2025 presidential election. Once a key ally of her husband, ex-President Laurent Gbagbo, she now seeks to chart her own course, appealing to women and youth to join what she calls a peaceful movement for change. Her supporters say she represents renewal in a political landscape still dominated by familiar faces like President Alassane Ouattara and former officials from his ruling RHDP party.
“This time, we are ready for peaceful victory,” declared Odette Tiémélé, the MGC’s National Women’s Coordinator. “Ivorians are tired of bloodshed after every election. With Simone Gbagbo, we’re choosing real-lasting change led by a woman.” Gbagbo told the cheering crowd she is not entering the race “to play a supporting role” but to win. She vowed to force a second-round showdown with Ouattara and to become Côte d’Ivoire’s first female president. For her supporters, who call her “Mama Simone,” the rally was more than a campaign stop it was a revival of belief that women can reshape Ivorian politics.
