Former First Lady Simone Gbagbo to Run for President in 2025
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Loading... - Adam Maxwell
- 24 Dec 2024
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Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady of Côte d’Ivoire, has officially announced her candidacy for the presidency in the upcoming 2025 elections. Known as the "Iron Lady," she is the ex-wife of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, who made history as the first former head of state to face trial for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, although he was later acquitted.
At her political movement’s first convention held in Moossou, near the economic capital of Abidjan, Gbagbo declared, “I have agreed to be a candidate in the presidential election of October 2025.” She expressed her belief that every Ivorian has the potential to overcome hardships and contribute to the nation’s development. “I would like to make you a bold offer: that of building an Ivory Coast that is totally transformed, modernized, and prosperous, in an Africa that is free of complexes, developed, equipped, indispensable, strong, and respected by all,” she stated.
Simone Gbagbo was arrested alongside her husband in April 2011 during a violent conflict that erupted after Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat in the 2010 presidential election. This crisis resulted in the deaths of approximately 3,000 people. In 2015, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for undermining state security but was granted amnesty in 2018 as part of a national reconciliation effort.
With Laurent Gbagbo currently ineligible to run due to a two-decade jail sentence related to bank looting, Simone Gbagbo's candidacy positions her against current President Alassane Ouattara, her long-time rival. Their divorce, which Laurent Gbagbo initiated upon his return to Abidjan in June 2021 after his acquittal, was finalized in 2023.
In addition to Simone Gbagbo, other political figures, including former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and ex-Trade Minister Jean-Louis Billon, have also announced their intentions to run for the presidency. As of now, incumbent President Ouattara has not disclosed whether he will seek a fourth term in office.
