Ivory Coast Opposition Members Arrested Ahead of Elections
Opposition party accuses government of repression as six members are detained ahead of tense October polls.
- Six members of Laurent Gbagbo’s party arrested amid rising political tension
- Party leadership describes arrests as “kidnappings” and calls for their release
- Key opposition figures, including Gbagbo, barred from contesting October elections
Six members of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo’s African People’s Party (PPA) have been arrested in what the party calls a crackdown on dissent ahead of the country’s October presidential elections.
PPA Executive President Sebastien Dano Djedje condemned the arrests as “kidnappings,” accusing the government of silencing political opponents in a climate of rising electoral tension.
The arrests come amid growing controversy following court rulings that disqualified key opposition figures—including Gbagbo, former banker Tidjane Thiam, and exiled ex-prime minister Guillaume Soro—from contesting the polls.
One of the detained individuals is reportedly a substitute deputy representing a constituency in Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s economic capital.
The situation has intensified with President Alassane Ouattara’s recent declaration that he will seek a fourth term—despite previously suggesting he would step down. His bid is enabled by a 2016 constitutional revision that reset term limits.
Critics argue that these developments undermine democratic processes and reflect an increasingly authoritarian trend in the West African nation.
