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Leading opposition figures on Thursday called on their supporters to boycott Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral process after President Alassane Ouattara shook the country by declaring that he would run for a third term.
The president’s U-turn, having said he would step aside, sparked a violent response on the streets that evoked memories of a brief civil war that erupted after then-President Laurent Gbagbo refused to yield to Ouattara after of the 2010 elections.
Here’s a timeline of this key period in the lead-up to the October 31 survey:
Ouattara steps aside
On March 5, 2020, Ouattara, 78, announces that he will not run for a third term to make way for “the younger generation.” He ends months of speculation about whether he would seek another term.
Coulibaly intervenes
In mid-March, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly is nominated as the candidate of the ruling RHDP party.
Sudden death
On July 8, Coulibaly died unexpectedly of a heart attack, plunging the country into uncertainty.
Ouattara will run
On August 6, Ouattara finally announces that he will seek reelection in October.
The opposition criticizes the decision, saying it goes against the constitution, which allows two terms, but Ouattara and his supporters argue that a 2016 constitutional change reset the clock.
Protests and violence
Ouattara’s announcement sparks protests that turn violent, leaving around 15 people dead.
On August 22, Ouattara is formally elected by his party to run for a third term.
Gbagbo and Soro candidates
On September 3, both Gbagbo and former rebel leader-turned-prime minister Guillaume Soro also submitted their candidacies.
Former President Henri Konan Bedie, 86, is officially nominated as his party’s candidate on September 12.
Validated and rejected
On September 14, the country’s highest court authorized only four nominations of the 44 applications it received. Validate Ouattara’s offer but exclude Gbagbo and Soro.
Boycott call
Former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and President Henri Konan Bedie, two of the main opposition candidates, call for an “active boycott” of the electoral process leading up to the polls, which they describe as “illegal”.
