Gbagbo: Côte d’Ivoire’s elections are a “civilian coup and electoral robbery” | news

Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo accused the authorities of carrying out what he called a “civil coup” and “electoral robbery” after he was excluded from running in the presidential elections scheduled for Saturday, October 25, stressing at the same time his support for the opposition protests without calling for taking to the streets.

In an interview with the IFO media platform, Gbagbo, who has not appeared in public since mid-August, said that his exclusion from the presidential race, along with the exclusion of opposition candidate Tidjane Thiam, represents “a deliberate exclusion of candidates capable of winning.” “I do not accept that,” he added.

He explained that his decision not to support any other candidate reflects his rejection of “the entire electoral dynamic,” saying, “We do not support anyone, and we do not even support this electoral process.”

Excluded opposition and security tension

The Ivorian opposition forces accuse the authorities of restricting the presidential entitlement by excluding its most prominent figures, led by Gbagbo and Thiem, in exchange for allowing President Alassane Ouattara to run for a fourth term since he came to power in 2011.

The Constitutional Council had justified the rejection of Gbagbo’s candidacy with a judicial conviction related to the violence that followed the 2010-2011 elections, while Tidjane Thiam was excluded on the grounds of “problems related to nationality.”

Since mid-October, the country has witnessed separate protests that resulted in the killing of five people, including a member of the guard, and the arrest of more than 700 people, according to what Public Prosecutor Omar Braman Kony announced, who indicated that some of those arrested face charges related to “terrorist acts.” Three-year prison sentences were also issued against dozens of people on charges of “disturbing public order.”

An election race with limited options

Despite the controversy, voters go on Saturday to choose their president from among five candidates, the most prominent of whom is Jean-Louis Billon, along with figures who were close to Gbagbo and then defected from him, such as his ex-wife Simone Gbagbo and former Minister Ahwa Don Melo.