Ivory Coast tightens protest ban ahead of presidential vote

Authorities in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) have imposed a sweeping and tightened ban on political rallies and demonstrations just days before the scheduled October 25, 2025, presidential election.¹

Key Developments:

• The Ban: The ban, announced by the interior and defense ministries, is effective for a two-month period and applies to all political parties and groups, with the sole exception of the five candidates officially approved to contest the presidential vote.²
• The Context: The restriction comes amid rapidly escalating political tensions following the exclusion of several key opposition figures—including former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam—from the official list of candidates by the electoral commission.³
• Controversial Fourth Term: The political climate is dominated by incumbent President Alassane Ouattara’s controversial decision to seek a fourth term, a move critics argue undermines democratic norms, especially following a 2016 constitutional change that removed presidential term limits.⁴
• Crackdown on Protests: The government justifies the bans as necessary to maintain public order and prevent unrest.⁵ However, the restrictions have been criticized by human rights groups like Amnesty International, who have called the blanket bans a “stark failure” to uphold the right to peaceful assembly.⁶
• Defiance and Arrests: Despite earlier bans, opposition groups had attempted to hold peaceful rallies, leading to heavy deployment of security forces, the use of tear gas, and hundreds of arrests—with at least 237 people detained during one recent protest.⁷

The measures highlight the volatility in the country, which has a history of election-related violence, as the nation heads into the polls.⁸