With six months remaining before Côte d’Ivoire’s October 2025 presidential elections, political tensions are escalating amid disputes over candidate eligibility and the integrity of the voter list. Several declared opposition candidates have reportedly been excluded from the provisional electoral roll, sparking public outcry and raising fears of a potential political crisis. Critics argue that the electoral commission’s lack of transparency and delays in publishing the final list could undermine trust in the electoral process.
Civil society organizations and some political figures are calling for an inclusive national dialogue to prevent a repeat of the 2010–2011 post-election crisis, which claimed over 3,000 lives following a disputed runoff between Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo. While some stakeholders are urging the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) to ensure that all eligible candidates are allowed to contest, others are insisting on strict adherence to constitutional and legal requirements, including criminal records and age limits.
President Alassane Ouattara, who has not confirmed whether he will run for a fourth term, has urged calm and pledged a fair electoral process. Meanwhile, major political figures such as former President Laurent Gbagbo and ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro face legal and administrative obstacles to candidacy, further heightening political uncertainty.
Observers, including the African Union and ECOWAS, have called for transparency, fairness, and consensus-building to ensure peaceful elections in the West African nation, which remains haunted by its history of electoral violence.
