ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast announced on Tuesday that he will seek a fourth term, a move that is already sparking controversy and raising concerns about the upcoming October elections in the West African nation. His candidacy comes after he oversaw a constitutional change that removed presidential term limits.
The 83-year-old president made his intentions clear in a televised address. Ouattara previously secured a third term in 2020, despite initially stating he would not run again. He reversed that decision following the death of his chosen successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly.
“I am a candidate because the constitution allows me to seek another term, and my health allows it,” Ouattara stated.
The announcement immediately draws attention to the country’s turbulent political landscape. Ivory Coast’s elections have a history of being marked by tension and violence. When Ouattara declared his third-term bid, the ensuing unrest led to several deaths.
Adding to the pre-election volatility, Ouattara’s most prominent rival, Tidjane Thiam, has been barred from the race by a court. The court cited Thiam’s dual French citizenship at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced it. Ivorian law prohibits dual nationals from running for president, and protests have already erupted against the court’s decision to exclude Thiam.
Ouattara’s decision places him among a growing number of West African leaders who have amended constitutional term limits to remain in power. This trend has fueled regional instability, with coup leaders often citing alleged corruption and electoral manipulation as justifications for seizing power, leading to divisions within the regional bloc, ECOWAS.
“For those critical of ECOWAS and civilian governments, Ouattara’s decision just reinforces the legitimacy crisis everyone in the region is facing. It makes people like Ouattara look like hypocrites,” noted Nat Powell, Africa analyst at Oxford Analytica.
Ouattara defended his run by emphasizing that Ivory Coast faces unprecedented security, economic, and monetary challenges requiring experienced leadership. Over the past decade, groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State have been expanding from the Sahel region into wealthier West African coastal states, including Ivory Coast, Togo, and Benin. Furthermore, the Ivorian economy has grappled with U.S. tariffs and climate-related disruptions to its vital cocoa sector. The country is the world’s leading exporter of cocoa beans, producing over a third of the global supply.