Côte d’Ivoire

Overview

As Côte d’Ivoire prepares for the presidential election in October 2025 and National Assembly elections in December 2025, there are renewed concerns that the country could experience political violence, as happened during previous polls. Incumbent President Alassane Ouattara is running for the fourth time since 2010, and although the constitution only allows for two presidential terms, the Ivoirian Constitutional Court had ruled in 2020 that the adoption of a new constitution in 2016 reset the count.  That decision continues to be contested by opposition parties. Major opposition leaders, including former president Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, have been excluded from this year’s poll. Opposition parties have also raised serious concerns about the neutrality of the election management body, the viability of the voter list, and the signature collection requirement for presidential candidates. Many observers and analysts are fearful that violence in Côte d’Ivoire could further destabilize an already fragile West Africa region. 

In the past two decades, NDI has partnered intermittently with Ivoirian political parties, elected officials, civic groups, and community leaders, to foster dialogue and other democracy support activities. NDI supported citizen election monitoring of the 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021, and 2023 presidential and legislative elections, including using the process and results verification for transparency (PRVT) methodology that allows citizen observers to verify turnout and results and assess the quality of elections processes. The Institute supported women’s political participation, including by training women candidates after the enactment of the 2019 gender quota law. To mitigate the consequences of the violence experienced during the 2020 presidential election, NDI equipped community leaders and local institutions to foster social cohesion and prevent and mitigate the risk of renewed conflict. In the lead-up to the 2025 elections, NDI has been fostering community dialogue and promoting reconciliation efforts that address the trauma caused by past political violence, with the stated objective of strengthening resilience among diverse identity groups in selected localities. NDI also addressed inter-communal violence through cultural initiatives to promote a shared understanding and appreciation among members of different ethnic groups.  NDI programs in Côte d’Ivoire are funded by various partners, including the National Endowment for Democracy and Global Affairs Canada.