Gbagbo’s Party Boycotts Ivory Coast Elections After Senior Official Arrested on Terrorism Charges
Gbagbo’s African Peoples’ Party withdraws from December polls after senior aide Damana Pickass is arrested for allegedly inciting an uprising following Ouattara’s disputed re-election
- Gbagbo’s party, PPA-CI, boycotts parliamentary elections over “repression and persecution
- Senior member Damana Pickass arrested, accused of calling for an uprising
- Ouattara’s ruling party expected to dominate amid deepening opposition crisis
Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo’s party, the African Peoples’ Party – Ivory Coast (PPA-CI), has announced a boycott of December’s parliamentary elections following the arrest of one of its top officials, Damana Pickass, on terrorism-related charges.
According to State Prosecutor Oumar Braman Kone, Pickass — detained on Tuesday near Abidjan — is accused of calling for an uprising and the overthrow of state institutions after the country’s disputed October 25 presidential election.
That controversial vote saw President Alassane Ouattara secure a fourth term with nearly 90% of the vote, after both Gbagbo and fellow opposition figure Tidjane Thiam were barred from contesting.
In a statement released after an emergency meeting, the PPA-CI said it would withdraw from the legislative elections, citing a “toxic political climate characterized by repression, persecution, and judicial intimidation.”
Pickass — who managed relations between Gbagbo’s party and Thiam’s Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) — last appeared publicly in mid-October, urging citizens to protest against the election. Authorities later banned all opposition demonstrations.
The prosecutor confirmed that Pickass, whose real name is Damana Adia, has been transferred to the anti-terrorism division of an Abidjan court as investigations continue.
Official reports say 11 people died during election-related violence, though opposition groups put the figure at 27. More than 100 individuals have since been jailed for three years over related disturbances.
Earlier this year, Pickass was sentenced to 10 years in prison for endangering state security in a separate 2021 case but had remained at large until this week’s arrest.
Analysts say President Ouattara’s ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) is now set to dominate the upcoming December 27 polls amid the opposition’s fragmentation.
