Ivory Coast’s president eyes fourth term

News Update

Alassane Ouattara, the president of Ivory Coast, says he is considering seeking a fourth term.

However, the 83-year-old clarified that he had yet to decide. The president spoke on Thursday at an event in Abidjan, the nation’s capital.

“I’m in good health and eager to serve my country,” Ouattara said. “As of today, I have not yet made a decision,” he said.

He said extending his tenure would be possible if his party backed his candidacy.

Ouattara has been president of Ivory Coast since May 2011.

Under Ivory Coast law, presidents are only allowed to serve two terms, but the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace party (RHDP) argued that a new constitution adopted in 2016 reset the rules.

The country’s top judicial body upheld the decision in an assertion upheld in 2020.

Last October, senior officials of the RHDP said they would do everything possible to ensure that the party, under Ouattara’s leadership, becomes “the undisputed winner of the next presidential election”.

The elections are scheduled to be held in October 2025.