Côte d’Ivoire Bans Protests Ahead of Presidential Election
Ivorian authorities have banned public gatherings aimed at challenging the decision of the country’s Constitutional Court to exclude top opposition leaders from participating in the October 25 elections. The measure comes ahead of the official start of campaigning later this week.
Former president Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, former minister of development, were among several opposition politicians barred from the upcoming vote. Their supporters had planned to protest the government’s decision.
President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who has led the country since 2011, is seeking a fourth term, having changed the Constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits.
