Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has launched a new political campaign titled “Enough is Enough” to influence the upcoming 2025 presidential election, despite being barred from running due to a criminal conviction. The 79-year-old leader, who headed Ivory Coast from 2000 to 2011, unveiled the initiative during a gathering of his African People’s Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) in Abidjan on Saturday.
Addressing party officials and activists, Gbagbo called for unity among all citizens disillusioned by rising living costs and persistent poverty, despite the country’s strong economic growth under President Alassane Ouattara. “We must unite all those who have something to lament. Is life too expensive for you? We’ll open the doors to you. Enough is enough,” Gbagbo said. Gbagbo was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for his role in the post-election crisis of 2010-2011, which left approximately 3,000 people dead. His conviction, which followed his acquittal by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on separate war crimes charges, prevents him from seeking office under Ivorian law.
The ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign aims to mobilize opposition to Ouattara, who has yet to announce whether he will seek another term. Meanwhile, the political landscape has been further complicated by the disqualification of Tidjane Thiam, a prominent opposition figure and former Credit Suisse CEO. Last week, an Abidjan court ruled Thiam ineligible to run, citing the loss of his Ivorian nationality after he obtained French citizenship in 1987. Although Thiam renounced his French nationality earlier this year to comply with Ivorian electoral law — which prohibits dual nationals from contesting the presidency — the court’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
The developments signal an increasingly tense and unpredictable run-up to Ivory Coast’s 2025 elections, raising concerns about political exclusion and the potential for unrest in a country still healing from past electoral violence.
