The ruling party in Ivory Coast, the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), has strongly responded to former president Laurent Gbagbo’s opposition to President Alassane Ouattara seeking a fourth term.
Speaking on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Minister of State and RHDP spokesperson Adjoumani Kouassi Kobenan dismissed Gbagbo’s objections as politically misinformed.
“We can tolerate Gbagbo talking about a fourth term, because at the time when we were voting on the Constitution of the Third Republic, he was absent from Côte d’Ivoire, and his supporters should have given him the information,” he said.
Adjoumani highlighted that political figures close to Gbagbo, including Affi N’Guessan and former First Lady Simone Ehivet, were available to brief him upon his return from the ICC. “Gbagbo, he is in the dark,” he added.
The RHDP official emphasised that under the 2016 Constitution, the adoption of the Third Republic reset the presidential term count.
“Former President Ouattara served his first term under the Third Republic. Now, we are in his second term of the Third Republic,” he explained.
Alassane Ouattara was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2015 and 2020.
The Constitutional Council upheld in 2020 that he could run for another term, given that the 2016 Constitution reset term limits.
Laurent Gbagbo reiterated his opposition to a fourth term during a meeting with supporters on August 16 in Yopougon, declaring: “There will be no fourth term.” Gbagbo, who leads the African Peoples’ Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), remains his party’s candidate despite being removed from the electoral list.
Adjoumani also addressed Gbagbo’s own candidacy, pointing to legal changes that lifted the 75-year age limit, allowing the 80-year-old former president to stand.
He accused the opposition of seeking to provoke tensions and maintain a climate of unrest ahead of the October 25, 2025 presidential election.
“It is clear that the opposition’s demonstrations have no other goal than to prepare its activists for future action.
The State will assume its responsibilities if necessary,” Adjoumani warned.
He confirmed that President Ouattara’s candidacy must be submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission on August 26, 2025, ahead of the upcoming polls.
About The Author
