IVORY COAST
IVORY COAST: Press release : Guillaume Soro: The architect of the OUATTARA candidacy in 2005
“It was following a letter that the decision was taken to allow OUATTARA to be a candidate”. The President of Générations et Peuples Solidaires (GPS) Mr. Guillaume Kigbafori SORO discussed this Thursday, September 17, 2020 with the international press at the conference room of the Hotel Bristol in Paris. As was to be expected, all the elites of the world’s mainstream media operating on Parisian soil responded to this meeting. No one wanted to miss this press conference which will have to break this long silence observed by Guillaume SORO for a long time. These men and women of these bodies have been well served. Accustomed and very at ease when he finds himself with the world of the press, the President of GPS descended with them in the twists and turns of the major agreements which punctuated the Ivorian crisis that started in 2002. Without, however, unpacking everything, from Pretoria to Linas-Marcoussis, Guillaume Kigbafori SORO all the same took with the journalists, behind the scenes of the path they took during these talks to allow Alassane OUATTARA to be a candidate because of his dubious nationality.
A large extract from the intervention of Générations et Peuples Solidaire.
“It was in 2005 indeed. Mr. Ouattara having been excluded and subject to a constitutional judgment since 2000 from Tai KONE, which meant that Mr. Ouattara could not be a candidate in Côte d’Ivoire, since his nationality was contested. That’s right, and he had tried to be a presidential candidate, he was rejected, he tried to be a legislative candidate, he was rejected again on the same nationality issue.
When we made the Linas-Marcoussis political agreement, this agreement first asked that all the signatories, that is to say those who had signed the agreement, can participate in the presidential election to preserve the integrity of the territory and bring peace to Côte d’Ivoire. Based on this agreement which had become a United Nations resolution, since the Linas-Marcoussis agreement was knighted by the United Nations system. I was in Pretoria as you can imagine and I was actively involved. President Gbagbo is still alive, President Tabo MBEKI is alive, so we have been active, so that President Laurent Gbagbo can allow Mr. OUATTARA to be a candidate. It happened as follows: We first discussed at five, then President Gbagbo asked to withdraw to discuss with Mr. OUATTARA in the presence of Mr. MBEKI, then President Gbagbo asked President MBEKI to ask him send a mail, so that he can also present this mail to his camp. And it was following this letter that the decision was taken to allow Mr. OUATTARA to be a candidate.
You allow me to make a historical reminder, and that is why I can tell you that, I cannot understand that we went through so many difficulties, of vicissitudes, to obtain that Mr. OUATTARA is a candidate in Côte d ‘Ivoire and he sees, what were the difficulties, so that, once installed in power, he acted as if everything was due to him and that the Ivory Coast belonged to him. And he gets up to exile the children of Ivory Coast, he sits down and he decides he is going to push everyone away. But I can’t understand.
The role played by Minister Sansan Kambilé. The Minister of Justice threatened and sent the president of a court to come and watch him in the room.
Me, in my case, it is clear that a trial was rushed, just to get rid of me. Because in this case of concealment of property that has been tried? I am the only one to have been rushed to trial and the trial took place in 40 minutes. The first magistrate who had been appointed recused himself, he refused. The second who was appointed wanted to go out of his way to postpone the case. The Minister of Justice threatened him and sent the president of a court to come and watch him in the room. What I am telling you has been reported to us. Poor Sissoko Amoulaye, by the way, I wish him good health, because he was given the verdict and he should read it. The poor man was unhappy to find himself caught up in a political plot that he perhaps did not want! So that’s not a political problem.
And I gave you the solution. Mr. OUATTARA, his first term is subject to a press release from the African Union. Me, I have two decisions that say I’m eligible. Therefore, it is for the Constitutional Council to act on the decisions of the African Court. So when you tell me we have to go on political ground, I say no! If I go to political terrain, I miss everything. My strength is the law. The law is with me. I wait for the arbitrary to pass, so that the law is exercised.
So, for me, the Constitutional Council of Côte d’Ivoire, if we had a president of the Constitutional Council, who was not sweating like I saw KONE, he would make the decision, to say refer to the charter of the African Court and it’s over. Anyway, I say to Ivorian jurists, I say to Ivorian justice, I have court decisions, I must be restored to my rights. As for going to an election, that is my decision and the decision of my political party. But, in the meantime, I must be restored to my rights … “
Source : Guillaume Soro Communiqué
Initially scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the major march of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire – African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA), the main opposition party in Côte d’Ivoire, will finally take place on Saturday, June 14, 2025. This postponement was announced by the party’s Executive Secretary, who points out that the decision came after discussions between the PDCI leadership and the authorities of the Abidjan department. The details of these discussions have not been made public.
This demonstration, highly anticipated by the party’s activists and supporters, aims to support the candidacy of its president, Tidjane Thiam, in the presidential election of 2025, and to protest against his removal from the electoral list. A decision that the party qualifies as unfair and unacceptable, arguing for the right of all Ivorian citizens, including those with dual nationality, to participate in the political life of the country.
The route of the march remains unchanged: the protesters will leave from the SOCOCE space of the 2 Plateaux, in the municipality of Cocody, to head towards the headquarters of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). The party calls for a strong peaceful mobilization in order to convey a clear message: demand inclusive, transparent and peaceful elections.
The removal of Tidjane Thiam and other opposition figures is mainly based on the issue of dual nationality, a legal provision that continues to be debated as the election approaches. The PDCI, which sees in Thiam a rally candidate capable of unifying the Ivorians, intends to make this march a highlight of its campaign and its democratic fight.
Photo credit: Tidiane Thiam page
The list of presidential candidates in Côte d’Ivoire is expanding on Saturday, May 31, 2025. After the withdrawal of Tidjane Thiam, another candidate comes to replace him. The latter had submitted his application in 2020 but it was invalidated. Indeed, in his announcement of candidacy, the latter has emphasized the valorization of cultural and spiritual values of the country.
The presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire promises to be exciting. Some candidates have been withdrawn and others are being added to the list of candidates. Additions for a common purpose sitting in the chair. An objective that arouses the interest of Olivier Djè Bi Djè, who has submitted his candidacy. Thus, the deputy of the city of Zuénoula announced his candidacy for the presidential election of 25 October 2025 on 31 May 2025.
An application that was invalidated five years ago (2020) due to sponsorship non-compliance. However, this candidacy could be valid because the politician has well prepared his mount before launching. However, there is still some way to go. Indeed, to be sure, the member for Zuénoula of Côte d’Ivoire has an obligation to respect the electoral code by bringing together at least sponsorship in 17 independent regions.
Olivier Djè Bi Djè, in his candidacy announcement speech, unveiled his management plan once at the presidency headquarters. As the Ivorian politician is a manager, he opts for common management with a future of social justice, without forgetting peace and sustainable development.
He gave a pledge on leadership based on the identity of the country. It also intends to place cultural and spiritual values high on the agenda with traditional leaders. Finally, the new candidate calls for unity in order to address the country’s challenges as quickly as possible. He also counts on the population for a victory.
Source: africa-sur7 / Credit photo: afrique-sur7
IVORY COAST
IVORY COAST – Dominique Ouattara receives cultural actors and the UNAIDS Country Director
On Thursday, May 15, 2025, in the high-class district of Cocody in Abidjan, the first lady of Côte d’Ivoire, Dominique Ouattara, granted a series of hearings to two prominent cultural actors: the artist Dadju and Affou Keïta, as well as to Henk Van Renterghem, UNAIDS Country Director in Côte d’Ivoire These meetings were part of courtesy visits, cultural invitations and discussions on health issues related to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire Dominique Ouattara received the artists and the UNAIDS representative in an official, no less convivial setting. She exchanged views with the two on cultural issues and with the other on the progress made by Côte d’Ivoire in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
French-Congolese artist Dadju Djuna Nsungula, better known as Dadju, came to express his gratitude to the First Lady. The Commission congratulated him on his exceptional career and the positive impact he has had on African youth. She then received the Ivorian singer Affou Keïta, who came to personally give her an official invitation to her live concert “Reconnaissance à l’effort de Paix”, scheduled for 30 May 2025 at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan. This concert aims to promote peace and living together.
Henk Van Renterghem, UNAIDS Country Director in Côte d’Ivoire, came to provide an update on the progress of the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country. He shared updated data with the First Lady and discussed the challenges of declining international funding, including from the U.S. PEPFAR program. “We have come to give an update as it is said in English to the First Lady of the progress and important progress that the country has registered in the fight against AIDS with a view to achieving the target of eliminating this pandemic by 2030. I shared important figures on the progress made by Côte d’Ivoire,” said Mr Henk Van Renterghem.
For many years, Dominique Ouattara has been involved in the promotion of culture in Côte d’Ivoire. Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, the First Lady expressed her unwavering support for UNAIDS. She also renewed her commitment to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
