“We believe the candidate Jean-Louis Billon will provide jobs for young people here, for us in Côte d’Ivoire," a young man told me at one of his rallies, in Cocody, in the heart of the economic capital, Abidjan. "Right now, as young people, we want to work... so we can feed our families.”
Like him, young people came to support Billon, a 60-year-old businessman, former Trade Minister and the first employer in the country's private sector. With the disqualification of political powerhouses Laurent Gbagbo and PDCI leader Tidjane Thiam, Billon is seen as the main opponent to President Alassane Ouattara, in power since 2011.
About 40 percent of the 38 million Ivorians are under 15.
And Ouattara, seeking a fourth term, is 83.
For some of the young voters, Jean-Louis Billon is the right leader, especially as he promises to bring employment to many more Ivorians.
These issues appeal to young voters from the opposition, who complain about lack of work.
“We are suffering… We cannot work," a man complained at a forbidden march to rally supporters of Thiam. "Some Ivorians are even going abroad.”
Côte d'Ivoire's economy is the most flourishing in West Africa and a pillar for the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU, mostly known as UEMOA in French), which joins eight countries. But its wealth is still in the hands of a few.
Desire for change
For his supporters, Billon could also be a guarantor of change, and express a healthy political alternation for democracy.
"We would like a little change," one of them told me at his Abidjan rally. "Honestly, we recognise that the current president has done the best he could for us. Anyone who says that Alassane Dramane Ouattara hasn't worked will be acting in bad faith... Because he's done everything: infrastructure, schools, universities... Currently, everything is good, everything is fine. But we would like a little change, to appease the hearts of other politicians.”
Most people at the meeting also expressed a desire for peace and reconciliation.
Flavio Cunha is a 21-year-old economics student at the Félix Houphouët Boigny University, in Abidjan. He expressed worries about his own future because of it.
"I wouldn't say that I feel hopeful, it's kind of complicated. The job opportunities are really super limited. So you have to be super competitive in the job market, because we have a lot of new graduates and experienced graduates on the job market. You don't get jobs easily."
He is also worried that politics is actually making the situation worse, in a country where opportunities could be plentiful.
"African politics makes things worse in Africa because of our leaders, especially here. The politics that they're applying doesn't actually suit us. Currently we're in the election month, and we feel a little bit worried about what's going to happen, because of the way that the politicians speak, and the way they do politics. It doesn't make us secure about our future."
Flavio remembers the civil war of 2010-2011 and doesn't want a repeat. "I do have memories, lots of difficult memories, a lot of bad things. I lived in Adjamé at the time (in Abidjan), I was seven, I saw a lot of dead bodies on the streets, that was horrible."
He says it is important to not repeat these mistakes.
"We just need peace, that's it. That's why we young people are not that into politics. Because in Cote d'Ivoire, in Africa, politics means war fighting and stuff. We don't have democratic politics in Cote d'Ivoire. That's unfortunate, as that's super important."
For all these reasons, Flavio, who still has three to study to get his degree, says he would rather like to go abroad, work in English, and start a business.
Restricted voices
Many in Abidjan agree that life remains hard for the average Ivorians.
Though the city's economy is booming and infrastructures are growing, like the first urban train currently under construction and flyovers which radically improved traffic, some deplore they simply cannot get better jobs.
"I don't want to be a taxi driver here in Abidjan, away from my family", a young Yango driver told me. "I hope we can have a president that creates good jobs for young people like us."
Another deplores the lack of alternatives. "Thiam and Gbagbo should have been able to run," another driver told me. "And it is a shame that a president can change the constitution to prolong his mandate, and that he can ban any form of opposition's protest."
The lack of alternative could cause justified anger, says Hyacinthe Bley, a historian at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University. Excluded candidates have called their supporters to march to protest against their exclusion, but these marches and protests were strictly banned.
"The authorities should let them express their anger, or else they will think that the current government just uses all means for repression to their advantage," he told me. "That cannot be good for a peaceful election."
The historian says this could lead to some boycott of the vote or voters' apathy.
Powerful rallies
Ouattara has nonetheless brought Côte d'Ivoire in a remarkable state, both economically and socially, and many young people also recognise his achievements.
After holding a rally in the centre of the country, he came back to Abidjan to host two meetings at the main stadium in the neighbourhood of Le Plateau, the business district where most skyscrapers can be found, overlooking the laguna. One meeting was dedicated to young people.
"After President Houphouet-Boigny, only President Ouattara has worked, practically speaking. So, people realise that he is the one able to move the country forward," a supporter told me.
Pascal Kobena came for the future of his children.
"Ouattara does everything so the country can move forward in terms of development, in terms of peace, and to guarantee the security of Ivorians, property and the people who live there," he told me.
The most privileged students tend to agree. Some bitterly remember that political divisions only brought violence and division and are not ready to risk peace for politicians' careers.
But these ones see president ADO as the solution, like some of the "ADO girls" and "Mums for Ouattara", who came to his meetings on Saturday and Sunday at the stadium.
"We don't change a team that wins!" a woman supporter told me.
These people express a choice for stability. While others might not vote at all, saying they have no real choice.
The first round of the presidential election is this Saturday 25 October 2025. 8.7 million voters are called to the polls.
Most political observers expect Ouattara to be reelected straight away, without even a second round, for a fourth mandate.
No comments:
Post a Comment