Ivory Coast has introduced biometric technology to oversee the sponsorship process for presidential candidates in a significant move to safeguard the integrity of its upcoming presidential election.
The announcement was made on Thursday, June 19, by Émile Ebrottié, regional supervisor of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) for Indénié-Djuablin, during a public meeting in Abengourou.
Ebrottié stated that the use of biometrics — particularly fingerprint verification — will help curb fraud and eliminate duplicate sponsorships in the run-up to the October 2025 presidential vote.
This innovation, he explained, is crucial to ensure a fair, secure, and transparent nomination process.
“You understand that any Ivorian who has met the conditions to be a candidate can run.
But you can imagine the fervor within us. We could have more than 1,000 candidates,” he remarked. “In 2020, we had 44 candidates.
It’s quite possible that this year, we could have perhaps double that. We should still, as they say, filter things down a bit.”
The implementation of biometric oversight aims to reinforce the credibility of the sponsorship process, which was first introduced by the Ivorian legislature in 2020.
Under the current law, any presidential aspirant must secure endorsements from at least one percent of registered voters, spread across 50% of the country’s regions and autonomous districts.
“Only registered voters can sponsor, and only candidates on the electoral list are eligible for sponsorship,” Ebrottié emphasized.
To ensure smooth execution of the new system, the CEI will conduct a training session on June 23 for coordinators designated by the candidates.
The session, to be held at the Commission’s headquarters, will provide detailed guidance on the biometric process and outline procedures to ensure compliance and transparency.
This development marks a pivotal step in Ivory Coast’s democratic journey, as the country prepares for a hotly anticipated election season where transparency and technological innovation are expected to play central roles.
About The Author
