On a vibrant Saturday in Abidjan, the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium was transformed into a sea of color, music, and youthful exuberance. Thousands of young people from all corners of Ivory Coast converged to rally behind President Alassane Ouattara as he seeks an unprecedented fourth term in the presidential election set for October 25, 2025. The 83-year-old leader, whose political journey has been marked by both triumph and turbulence, stands at the center of a contest that has once again ignited both hope and tension across the West African nation.
Ouattara’s story is one of persistence and resilience. Born in Dimbokro on January 1, 1942, he earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania before rising through the ranks of international finance to become deputy director of the International Monetary Fund. His return to Ivory Coast saw him serve as prime minister under the country’s founding president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny. Yet, despite his credentials, Ouattara’s early political ambitions were repeatedly stymied by restrictive electoral laws—first in 1995, when a residency rule kept him from running, and again in 2000, when questions about his parentage led to his exclusion. These barriers, as reported by Reuters, were part of a broader pattern of xenophobic policies that targeted Ivorians with roots in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as those from the country’s north.
It wasn’t until 2010 that Ouattara, in alliance with former president Henri Konan Bédié, finally secured a path to the presidency. That victory, however, plunged Ivory Coast into a brief but brutal civil war after then-incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat. The violence claimed around 3,000 lives before Ouattara was sworn in as president in April 2011. Since then, he has been re-elected by landslide margins in 2015 and 2020, though the latter vote was marred by clashes that left 85 dead, according to official figures cited by BBC and other outlets.
Ouattara’s supporters point to his record of economic growth and ambitious infrastructure projects as evidence of his effective leadership. New roads, interchanges, and a striking 300-meter tower now redefine the Abidjan skyline, while plans for a new metro and expanded electricity access signal his determination to modernize the country. "Seeing everything he has done in this country, no one has done that before. They all came with promises they did not keep. The people need a leader who works," RHDP supporter Edmond Gbogbo told France 24 during the recent rally, echoing a sentiment widely shared among the president’s base.
That rally, held on October 18, 2025, was as much a celebration as a show of strength. Songs, dances, and slogans promoting peace, stability, and progress filled the stadium, with young people leading the charge. Siaka Kone, a Member of Parliament for Bouaflé, proudly recounted his journey to the capital with 10,000 youths to join the festivities. "The big day is just a few days away, and together we will continue this great celebration with the entire Ivorian population so that we can continue the development that has been ongoing for 15 years, and we will spend another 5 years developing the country," he declared, as reported by Africa News.
Yet, beneath the surface of celebration, there is an undercurrent of anxiety. The campaign unfolds against a backdrop of heightened tensions and fears of unrest. Amnesty International, in a statement on October 16, 2025, criticized what it called a "disproportionate" ban on election-related protests. The government’s deployment of 44,000 security forces is both a precaution and a stark reminder of the country’s fraught electoral history. As Jessica Moody, a West Africa political risk consultant, observed, "The protest ban and the deployment of security forces will help stave off large-scale unrest." Still, the memories of past violence linger, and many Ivorians are watching the unfolding campaign with a mix of hope and apprehension.
The opposition, meanwhile, finds itself in disarray. The two figures widely seen as Ouattara’s most formidable challengers—former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam and ex-president Laurent Gbagbo—have both been barred from the race. Thiam was disqualified on the grounds of holding French nationality at the time of his registration, a violation of Ivorian law, while Gbagbo remains excluded due to a prior conviction. Their absence has left the field to four lesser-known candidates, each heading what analysts describe as "makeshift coalitions" lacking the organizational muscle of the major parties. As Cesar Flan Moquet, director of the Centre of Political Research of Abidjan, told Reuters, "All this means that these candidates do not really have a chance."
Opposition leaders, including Gbagbo and Thiam, have been vocal in their criticism of Ouattara’s fourth-term bid. They argue that his candidacy violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the country’s constitutional term limits—a controversy that was at the heart of the 2020 unrest. Ouattara, for his part, maintains that a new constitution adopted in 2016 reset the clock on term limits, a position that has been accepted by the courts but remains contentious among segments of the public.
During his speech at the youth rally, Ouattara sought to strike a conciliatory tone, reiterating his commitment to the wellbeing of Ivorian youth. "I am committed to working harder for the wellbeing of the Ivorian youth," he said, as quoted by Africa News. The message was clear: in a country where over half the population is under the age of 25, the support of young people is not just desirable—it is essential. The rally’s organizers, keenly aware of this demographic reality, framed the event as a call to unity around the values of peace, stability, and progress.
Looking ahead, Ouattara’s stated ambitions are nothing if not bold. He has pledged to make Ivory Coast a middle-income country by 2030, bring the long-awaited Abidjan metro online, and further improve roads and electricity access. But questions about succession and the future of the ruling party loom large. Ouattara’s previous attempt at an orderly transition—when he named then-prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly as his successor—was upended by Coulibaly’s untimely death in 2020. As of October 2025, no new successor has been named, raising concerns about the party’s direction and the country’s political stability beyond Ouattara’s tenure.
Still, for many at the rally and across the country, the immediate focus is on the coming election. The stakes are high, and the path forward remains uncertain. But for now, the energy and optimism of Ivory Coast’s youth—mobilized in song, dance, and spirited support—offer a glimpse of a nation striving to move beyond its troubled past toward a future of growth and renewal.
