Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced he will run for a fourth term in October’s election.
In a statement, the 83-year-old said his health was not an issue and his candidacy was driven by a need to “preserve national stability amid ongoing security and economic challenges”.
Ouattara argues a new constitution approved in 2016 reset his two-term limit, meaning he is allowed to stand.
He will be the poll’s frontrunner, as several potential challengers have already been barred from the race.
The excluded candidates include former President Laurent Gbagbo, ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, and former minister Tidjane Thiam.
On Tuesday, Thiam and other opposition leaders swiftly denounced Ouattara’s decision to run.
“Today’s announcement by Mr Ouattara constitutes a violation of our Constitution and a new attack on democracy,” Thiam said in a statement.
“The Ivorian people will continue to make their voices heard and show the world what we think of this situation.”
On the same day Ouattara announced his bid, authorities banned a peaceful protest planned for 7 August.
The demonstration was organised by opposition groups in order to demand the reinstatement of disqualified presidential candidates and an independent audit of the voter list.
Former banker Ouattara will be hoping his track record propels him to victory in October – for four successive years Ivory Coast’s economy has grown by more than 6%.
However, the country is currently experiencing widespread disillusionment with the country’s political establishment.
Current tension over the exclusion of opposition candidates evokes memories of past electoral violence, including the 2010-2011 conflict that left over 3,000 dead and the unrest triggered by Ouattara’s controversial third-term bid in 2020.
More than 8.7 million Ivorians have registered to vote. Civil society groups and religious leaders, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, have expressed alarm at growing political polarisation in the country.
