Cocody, Abidjan, election D-14

 

I'm in Côte d'Ivoire, where the presidential election is in two weeks.

 President Alassane Ouattara running to try to get a fourth mandate at 83.  

Campaigning in the whole of Cote d'Ivoire kicked off on Friday for this presidential election. 

Five candidates were approved by the Constitutional Council: Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello, Simone Ehivet, Henriette Lagou and the incombent president Alassane Ouattara.

They have two weeks to win over voters ahead of the 25 October polls.  

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Today the police prevented supporters of the opposition from manifesting in Cocody, Abidjan, the biggest economic hub of the country.

Members of Gbagbo's African Peoples' Party - Côte d'Ivoire (PPA-CI) wanted to protest against the elimination of the candidate from the race. The march was banned and some 213 people were arrested for attempting to march.

Here we can see a couple of police cars as they processed:

These men express their anger, as security forces arrested some of the rare protesters who dared to brave the ban. "We suffer here," they said.

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For more, read my previous piece for RFI :

  Côte d'Ivoire election 2025 

Why Côte d’Ivoire’s election could be more complex than it seems

Côte d'Ivoire's presidential election campaign is taking shape, with four challengers hoping to defeat longtime incumbent Alassane Ouattara in the 25 October vote – but no candidates from the country's two main opposition parties. While analysts say the run-up has so far been peaceful, some fear that young voters in particular are disengaging from politics, in response to previous election violence.

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Snapshots from Cocody, in Abidjan:

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Photos by myself.

More soon.