The President of the Ivorian Senate, Kandia Camara, has called on citizens in the Abobo commune of Abidjan to turn out in large numbers for the upcoming presidential election on 25 October 2025, describing voting as both a right and a civic responsibility.
Speaking during a ceremony to distribute 60,000 school kits to students in the working-class neighbourhood of Abobo on Saturday, Ms. Camara — who is also the mayor of the commune — urged all registered voters to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
“Voting is a civic duty, a civic duty, and it is (moreover) enshrined in the Constitution, so everyone has the right to vote to choose the person they wish to see at the head of the country,” she said.
The Senate president appealed for a strong turnout from the community. “So, we want a massive vote here in Abobo. We want a very high turnout here in Abobo, a massive turnout here in Abobo. I would like to count on the village chiefs, the community leaders, the religious leaders and the educational community,” she added.
With just three weeks left before the polls, Camara highlighted the importance of maintaining peace during the electoral process. “In exactly 21 days, the presidential election will take place, that is to say on October 25, 2025. I would like to congratulate you on the climate of peace that reigns and that reigns until today. Abobo is at peace, Côte d’Ivoire is at peace and everything is going very well,” she said.
She credited Ivorians for fostering national unity. “This is thanks to the Ivorians, it is thanks to everything you do to strengthen cohesion here in the commune and throughout Côte d’Ivoire,” she stated.
Camara expressed hope that the campaign, scheduled from 10 to 23 October, “will take place in a peaceful atmosphere,” adding that it should “begin in peace and end in peace, so that on October 25, after the results are announced, we can go about our business in security.”
The former education minister also encouraged young voters to participate.
“Students over 18 are also voters; so we also want students who are voters, who are registered on the electoral roll, to be able to go out in peace, in tranquility, to vote in large numbers,” she said.
The school kit distribution, held in the Abobo Sagbé district, is part of an annual initiative to support families and promote education. Last year, 50,000 kits were distributed, compared with 45,000 the previous year. This year’s 60,000 kits, valued at more than 300 million CFA francs, aim to ease the financial burden on parents.
“Each year, in addition to school kits, we provide more than 1,500 grants, scholarships and support to children in Abobo to relieve the burden on families and parents, but above all to enable our children to go to school in good conditions,” Camara added.
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