Supporters of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo and ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro held a protest outside the European Parliament this week, denouncing their exclusion from Côte d’Ivoire’s provisional electoral list for the upcoming October 2025 presidential election.
Waving Ivorian flags and holding placards demanding “Free and Fair Elections,” the demonstrators called on the European Union to pressure the Ivorian government to ensure an inclusive electoral process. They accused the EU of historical bias in the country’s political crises, particularly its stance during the 2010–2011 post-election conflict that resulted in over 3,000 deaths and Gbagbo’s subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Both Gbagbo and Soro were barred from running in the 2020 presidential election—Gbagbo due to a prior conviction for alleged misappropriation of public funds, and Soro due to an Ivorian court conviction for plotting a coup. Though Gbagbo was later acquitted by the ICC in 2021, his domestic conviction remains a legal obstacle. Soro has lived in exile since 2019 and faces multiple arrest warrants.
The protest in Brussels follows mounting pressure in Abidjan, where opposition parties and civil society groups are calling for the reinstatement of disqualified candidates, warning that their exclusion could compromise the legitimacy of the election. Several other opposition figures are also reportedly under threat of disqualification due to pending legal cases.
With just six months until the vote, critics say the ruling party under President Alassane Ouattara is shrinking the democratic space. Human rights organizations have also raised concerns over media restrictions, arbitrary arrests, and partisan control of electoral institutions.
The Ivorian electoral commission has not yet commented on whether appeals for reinstatement will be considered. However, opposition leaders warn that failure to allow all major figures to contest could plunge the country into renewed political instability.
As electoral tensions rise, the October 2025 vote is shaping up to be a critical test of Côte d’Ivoire’s democratic credibility and its ability to hold a peaceful and transparent transition of power.
