Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara, 83, says he will run for fourth term.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has declared his intention to seek a fourth term in office during the upcoming October elections.

In an official statement, the 83-year-old president assured that his health is not a concern and that his decision to run is motivated by the need to “maintain national stability amidst ongoing security and economic challenges”.

Ouattara maintains that the 2016 constitution has re-established his eligibility, thereby allowing him to seek re-election.

As the leading contender, he will be the poll’s frontrunner, given that several potential challengers have been disqualified.

Former President Laurent Gbagbo, ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, and former minister Tidjane Thiam are among the excluded candidates. Thiam and other opposition leaders promptly criticized Ouattara’s decision to run on Tuesday.

“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 that Ouattara declared his candidacy, the authorities banned a peaceful protest scheduled for August 7. The opposition groups organized the demonstration to demand the reinstatement of disqualified presidential candidates and an independent audit of the voter registry.

Former banker Ouattara will likely bank on his track record to propel him to victory in October, considering Ivory Coast’s economy has expanded by more than 6% for four consecutive years.

Nonetheless, the country is currently experiencing pervasive disillusionment with its political establishment.

Tensions are running high due to the exclusion of opposition candidates, evoking memories of past electoral violence, including the 2010-2011 conflict that claimed over 3,000 lives and the unrest sparked by Ouattara’s disputed third-term bid in 2020.

More than 8.7 million Ivorians are registered to vote. Civil society groups and religious leaders, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, have raised alarm over the increasing political divisions in the country.

credit: BBC