Simone Gbagbo, former First Lady and spokesperson for CAP-CI, made an important request to President Alassane Ouattara concerning the 2025 presidential election.
Four months before the presidential election, political tension is rising in Côte d’Ivoire. This weekend, the Coalition for Peaceful Alternation (CAP-CI) gathered tens of thousands of supporters in Abidjan.
Led by Simone Gbagbo, a former First Lady and influential opposition figure, the platform launched a clear political offensive to seek the exclusion of President Alassane Ouattara from running for a fourth term.
Speaking to a crowd estimated at 50,000 people according to the organizers, Simone Gbagbo directly challenged the RHDP. “I ask the RHDP to propose another candidate. President Ouattara has already completed his two constitutional terms. He shouldn’t have even run in 2020,” she insisted.
This speech marks a new stage in the strategy of CAP-CI, a coalition created to unite opposition forces and advocate for a peaceful democratic transition.
The platform is calling for the immediate opening of political dialogue, including the reintegration of main leaders excluded from the electoral process, such as Laurent Gbagbo, Charles Blé Goudé, Guillaume Soro, and Tidjane Thiam, all excluded for widely contested judicial reasons.
One of the points of contention raised during the meeting is the currently required citizen sponsorship for any candidate aiming for the highest office. Simone Gbagbo views it as an unconstitutional measure. “The vote is secret. Why force voters to declare themselves publicly? It’s not democratic,” she argued, calling for a revision of this requirement.
A Call to the Guardians of Peace
Beyond the political contest, the president of the Capable Generations Movement reached out to religious leaders, civil society, and the international community. “There is still time to save Côte d’Ivoire. This involves listening, justice, and respecting the rules of the democratic game,” she concluded, to a round of applause.
For several months, the RHDP has been slow to confirm whether Alassane Ouattara will run in the October 2025 election. Although his supporters urge him to run again, the president, in power since 2011, remains silent on his intentions.