2025 - 2025 Côte d'Ivoire Presidential Elections (Ivory Coast)

Overview
Côte d’Ivoire will hold its presidential election on 25 October 2025. The vote is tightly contested not just over policy but over politics: the exclusion of leading opposition figures, the bid by President Alassane Ouattara for a fourth term, and memories of the violent, post-electoral crises of the past make this one of the most consequential votes in West Africa this year.

Political context

Ivory Coast is the West Africa’s economic powerhouse and a major cocoa producer. Since the post-electoral crisis of 2010–2011, which left thousands dead and deeply polarised the country, elections in Abidjan have been treated as potential flashpoints: disputed results in 2010 led to a civil conflict and international intervention.

President Alassane Ouattara’s decision to run again after a 2016 constitutional reform has been controversial: critics say it undermines constitutional limits and democratic rotation; supporters argue it is legally permissible and offers continuity. Ouattara’s candidacy, combined with the exclusion of several high-profile opponents, has intensified concerns about the inclusiveness and competitiveness of the process.

Candidates

The final candidate list published by the Constitutional Council reduced a far larger provisional field to a handful of approved names. Among the notable outcomes:

Alassane Ouattara (incumbent) — confirmed as a candidate and seeking a fourth term.

Several previously prominent figures, including Tidjane Thiam (former Credit Suisse CEO and a leading opposition figure) and ex-President Laurent Gbagbo, have been struck from the electoral roll or disqualified on legal grounds (primarily nationality and prior convictions), a move that opposition parties and some civil society actors have denounced as politically motivated.

These exclusions matter because they reshape the contest’s competitiveness and the perceived legitimacy of any outcome.

Key issues shaping voter choice

Economy & livelihoods: Growth, job creation (especially for youth), and the price and supply chains of cocoa and cashew sectors remain central.

Public services and infrastructure: Urban management in Abidjan, electricity and transport reliability are tangible issues for voters.

Security and reconciliation: Given recent history, voters are attentive to promises on national unity, reintegration of former combatants, and prevention of violence.

Rule of law and governance: Issues of judicial independence, corruption, and civil liberties are focal points after a series of disqualifications and arrests that critics call politically selective.

Important Timelines

10–23 October 2025 (14 days) – Official campaign period

25 October 2025 — Presidential election day (first round).

29 November 2025 – Second round (if no candidate obtains absolute majority in the first round)

Voting and Results Management

Voting will be done with paper ballots after which counting of ballots will happen at each bureau. Results will be immediately posted via secure transmission to the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). Final proclamation of the winner is made by the Constitutional Council after consolidation of results and any legal challenges.

Results Summary