Ivory Coast's Gbagbo rallies opposition against Ouattara’s fourth-term bid

Thousands of Ivorians rallied on Saturday against incumbent leader Alassane Ouattara’s bid for a fourth term in office.

The demonstrations, the second this week, were led by former President Laurent Gbagbo and come ahead of October’s presidential election.

Without specifically naming Ouattara, the 80-year-old leader of the African People’s Party–Cote d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) told a large crowd of his supporters to oppose a “fourth term”.

He denounced the president’s bid as an unconstitutional shift and demanded the release of activists arrested in recent weeks.

In 2016, Ouattara changed the country’s Constitution resetting the presidential limit to allow himself to stand for a third term in office in the 2020 polls.

In July, he announced his candidacy saying both his health and the country’s Constitution allowed him to serve fourth term.

He said the country was facing “unprecedented security, economic, and monetary challenges” and that this required management by someone with experience, like himself.

While Ouattara will likely face several opposition figures in the polls, this will not include Gbagbo.

Gbagbo together with former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro are among several leading opposition politicians barred from running in the poll following court convictions.

Although Ouattara has promised a peaceful poll, analysts believe that this is increasingly unlikely given the sidelining of opposition candidates.