The recent Congress of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) was the scene of internal rivalries and palpable tensions over the nomination of the party’s candidate for the 2025 presidential election. At the heart of the debates, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, current president of the FPI, appears to be the favorite to obtain the party’s investiture, despite the divisions that have emerged within the party in recent weeks.
The Ivorian political context is marked by internal dissensions within the FPI, notably with the suspension of Pierre Dagbo Godé, a lawyer and rival of Pascal Affi N’Guessan, for his critical positions. These tensions have highlighted a protesting fringe within the party, referred to as the “frondeurs”, who question the authority of the current leadership.
Discordant voices have been raised within the FPI, denouncing a potentially biased Congress and highlighting the lack of cohesion within the party. Laurent Gbagbo’s calls for opposition unity and the break in the partnership with the RHDP have accentuated divisions within the FPI and fueled internal criticism.
Despite these tumults and dissentions, the FPI leadership, embodied by Pascal Affi N’Guessan and the new Secretary General Barthélémy Iré Gnépa, affirms that these turmoil in no way undermines the party’s determination to actively prepare for the upcoming presidential election. Pascal Affi N’Guessan’s warning to President Alassane Ouattara not to run for a fourth term is a strong signal to the current head of state and political observers.
In this climate of tension and uncertainty, the FPI seems to navigate between the need for cohesion and unity, and the divergent aspirations of its members. The nomination of the candidate for the 2025 presidential election thus promises to be a major challenge for the party, which will have to overcome its divisions and clearly position itself in the Ivorian political landscape.
The political destiny of the FPI and its key players such as Pascal Affi N’Guessan is closely linked to the party’s ability to overcome its internal divisions and propose a unified and dynamic vision for the future of Côte d’Ivoire. The coming months promise to be decisive for the country’s political future, with the FPI at the center of the issues and debates that animate the Ivorian political scene.