Cote d’Ivoire - October 2025
Ouattara re-elected in low-turnout vote lacking main opposition
On 27 October, Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral commission declared President Alassane Ouattara the winner of the 25 October presidential election with 89.8 per cent of the vote. Major challengers Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam were barred from running, and with no major opposition contender on the ballot, voter turnout dropped slightly to 50.1 per cent from 53.9 per cent in 2020. Entrepreneur Jean-Louis Billon placed a distant second with 3.1 per cent, followed by former First Lady Simone Gbagbo at 2.4 per cent; she was one of two women candidates among the five on the ballot. Various observers, including the Economic Community of West African States-African Union (ECOWAS-AU) mission and national civil society groups, said the vote was largely peaceful, but noted the restrictive political environment and exclusion of key candidates. The opposition described the polls as a ‘civilian coup,’ citing the disqualification of Gbagbo and Thiam and broader concerns over electoral fairness and judicial independence.
Sources: Independent Electoral Commission of Cote d'Ivoire, International Crisis Group, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, Jeune Afrique, Institute for Security Studies – Africa, International IDEA
