Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has consented to represent his party as a presidential candidate in the upcoming 2025 elections. The announcement was made by Katinan Kone, spokesperson for the African People’s Party – Cote d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), which Gbagbo established in 2021, following a meeting of the party’s central committee on Saturday.
Acquitted of charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2019, stemming from his involvement in a civil war triggered by his refusal to accept defeat in the 2010 election, Gbagbo returned to Ivory Coast in 2021. Although he relinquished control of the party he previously established, the Ivorian Popular Front (IPF), during his incarceration awaiting trial in the Netherlands, he is presumed to still command a sizable and devoted following within the country.
The next election in the West African nation is slated for October 2025. President Alassane Ouattara, 82, who secured reelection in 2020, has yet to disclose his intentions regarding another presidential bid.
