The news in Côte d’Ivoire is marked by the recent press conference of the opponent Laurent Gbagbo. During this exchange, several topics were discussed, ranging from the economy to domestic politics and the coup in Niger.
One of the former president’s most notable statements concerns the municipal and regional elections to be held on September 2. While his party, the Peoples of Africa (PPA-CI), had boycotted some polls in the past due to alleged fraud, Gbagbo says this will not happen again. He acknowledges that the decision to boycott the elections has caused damage to his party and now says he wants to continue to participate in the elections despite possible fraud.
The alliance between the PPA-CI and the PDCI-RDA, the party of former President Henri Konan Bédié, is also mentioned. Gbagbo insists on the importance of maintaining this alliance despite possible differences, affirming that the two parties will discuss after the elections to take stock and continue their collaboration.
In addition, Gbagbo also evokes his presidential ambitions. Removed from the electoral list since 2020 due to a conviction by the Ivorian justice, he intends to relaunch his file after the local elections. However, he specifies that becoming president again is no longer an obsession for him, but that he would be ready to run in 2025 if his party asks him to.
This press conference by Laurent Gbagbo therefore marks a turning point in his political strategy, with a clear desire to participate actively in the elections and to maintain alliances, while leaving aside his obsessive desire to become president again