Jean-Louis Billon

<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Early Life <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Jean-Louis Billon, born in 1964/65 in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire,
comes from a family with strong links to agribusiness and politics. He pursued
higher education in France (business law at the University of Montpellier) and
later returned to Côte d’Ivoire to engage in both the private sector and local
politics.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In the private sector he built credentials as a leader in
agro-industrial business, notably heading SIFCA (a major Ivorian conglomerate
in oil-palm, rubber and sugar), which positioned him as a figure with both
commercial acumen and influence in regional economies.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Political Career<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Billon entered formal politics via local governance serving
as mayor of Dabakala and was later appointed as Minister of Commerce
(2015–2017) under an alliance government.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In 2024, he declared his intention to contest the 2025
presidential election.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Formation of the CODE Platform<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">In August 2025, Billon launched a new political coalition
named the Congrès Démocratique (CODE). The coalition brought together 18
parties and movements, uniting behind Billon’s candidacy for the 25 October
2025 presidential election.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Political Vision &amp; Candidacy<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Billon frames his campaign around <b>generational renewal</b>.
He asserts that Ivorian politics has for too long been led by the same cadre
and that “it is time to bring in a new generation of leadership”.<o:p></o:p></p><p>

</p><p class="MsoNormal">He positions himself as a credible alternative, stressing
unity, economic revitalisation, and reconciliation.<o:p></o:p></p>