After the party’s central committee meeting on Saturday, former president of the Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo decided to lead the party he formed into the 2025 presidential elections, a spokesman named Katinan Kone told Reuters.
The African People’s Party – Cote d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) was founded in 2021 by Gbagbo, the former president of the West African nation from 2000 to 2011, after he returned from ten years overseas and was cleared of war crimes accusations by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Netherlands-based International Criminal Court (ICC) cleared him in 2019 of all charges stemming from his involvement in a civil war that began when he refused to accept loss in an election.
While incarcerated in the Netherlands awaiting trial for several years, Gbagbo lost control of the party he had created, the Ivorian Popular Front (IPF), to a former ally. Despite this, he still enjoys a sizable and devoted following at home.
October 2025 is anticipated to be the month of the election. 2020 saw the reelection of President Alassane Ouattara, who has not yet declared his intention to compete for office again.
Tidjane Thiam, a former CEO of Credit Suisse, a major opposition party in Ivory Coast, was elected president of the PDCI in December; however, the party has not yet officially named a candidate. Thiam is another potential candidate.
Ange Aboa reported, Portia Crowe wrote, and David Holmes edited.
