Ivory Coast Democracy Strained by Leader’s Bid for Fourth Term
Ouattara’s main rivals have been barred from contesting vote
A campaign billboard for Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara at a market in Abidjan.
Photographer: Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images
Ivory Coast’s leader appears assured of winning a fourth term in Saturday’s elections, a contest dismissed as a farce by his main rivals who’ve been barred from running.
While the West African nation’s constitution limits presidents to serving two terms, the courts upheld Alassane Ouattara’s argument that a 2016 amendment reset the clock on his tenure. The candidature of Tidjane Thiam, a former Credit Suisse AG chief executive officer, was rejected because he held French citizenship when he registered to run, as was that of ex-President Laurent Gbagbo because of a prior criminal conviction.
Thiam and Gbagbo have since joined forces and staged a series of protests to challenge their exclusion, leading to hundreds of arrests. The marches petered out after the government banned all election-related demonstrations.