The former President of Côte d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo, has announced the suspension of his party, the African People’s Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), from the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), citing concerns over the commission’s impartiality and transparency.
In a statement released on Friday, Gbagbo criticised the CEI, stating that it had become an instrument of the ruling government. He also accused the commission of undermining democratic processes and attempting to exclude opposition figures from upcoming elections.
In his words:
The CEI is no longer what it claims to be. It is no longer an independent institution. It has become the docile instrument of a power that rejects alternation, that rejects transparency, and that rejects inclusion.”
He further stated that the commission had become a power that fears the people’s verdict and tries, by all means, to circumvent it.
I say this with the greatest responsibility: I refuse to be complicit in what is happening to our country. I refuse to endorse an electoral process that already bears the stigma of exclusion, fraud, and manipulation,” Maliweb quoted him.
Gbagbo’s decision follows the CEI’s confirmation that he remains excluded from the electoral roll, a status stemming from a 20-year prison sentence handed down in 2018 for his alleged role in the 2011 post-election crisis, which left over 3,000 people dead.
While Gbagbo was acquitted by the International Criminal Court in 2021, Ivorian authorities have maintained the domestic conviction, thereby blocking his eligibility to run for office.
The PPA-CI has contested this exclusion, arguing that it is politically motivated and aimed at sidelining Gbagbo ahead of the 2025 presidential elections.
Gbagbo has called for a sincere political dialogue involving opposition parties, civil society, and the government to ensure credible and inclusive elections in response to these developments.
“Everyone sees the crisis mounting. Everyone feels the tension. Everyone, except those who are in power today, blinded by their desire to retain power, even at the cost of destroying the country. We will never be complicit in this.”
“We therefore call for the opening of a sincere political dialogue between the main opposition parties, civil society and the government, to put Côte d’Ivoire back on the path to credible, inclusive and peaceful elections,” he said.
