Côte d’Ivoire: Uphold free expression and ensure a safe, democratic election

As Cote d'Ivoire heads to the polls on 25 October 2025 to choose a president for the next five years, ARTICLE 19 calls for a peaceful and democratic election and urges the authorities to uphold free expression and support an open civic space.

The period preceding the election has been marred by several worrying developments impacting fundamental freedoms of expression, association, political participation, and protest.

• On 11 October, security forces in Abidjan violently dispersed a peaceful opposition protest to denounce the exclusion of key opposition candidates from the presidential election. Despite prior bans issued by local authorities, demonstrators gathered in several areas of Cocody, during which police used tear gas, road blockades, and mass arrests to prevent the march from proceeding. At least 237 people, including journalists and political activists, were detained, and several bystanders were reportedly affected by tear gas. The Ministry of the Interior justified the crackdown on grounds of maintaining public order, but witnesses and civil society groups denounced the operation as disproportionate and politically motivated.

• On 8 September 2025, the Constitutional Council of Côte d'Ivoire validated only fiveout of 60 presidential candidacies submitted for the upcoming October elections. Among those excluded were two prominent opposition figures: Laurent Gbagbo, former president, and Tidjane Thiam, leader of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI). Their disqualification raises serious concerns about the integrity and inclusiveness of the electoral process.

• On 11 October 2025, the day of the launch of President Ouattara's electoral campaign, at 237 people were arrested in different areas of Abidjan, with security forces using excessive force to suffocate opposition protest, alleging the protests were not authorised. On 13 August, tens of thousands of citizens gathered in Abidjan to protestwhat they described as the government's increasingly authoritarian trajectory. Security forces violently dispersed the peaceful demonstration, resulting in dozens of injuries and hundreds of arrests.

These repressions reflect a pattern of excessive use of force and intolerance toward public assembly.

• Journalists have also come under attack. M'ma Camara, a reporter for France 24, was subjected to an online smear campaign in June 2025 after covering a PDCI event. The harassment, reportedly orchestrated by political actors, forced her to conceal her identity during subsequent field reporting. ARTICLE 19 views this as part of a broader strategy to intimidate and silence independent media voices.

• In April 2025, Ghislain Duggary Assy, a trade unionist, was abducted by masked men. Authorities thenlater sentenced him totwo years in prison for calling a strike. Although he was provisionally released in May, his conviction was upheld on appeal in July, signaling continued judicial harassment of labour activists.

'The repressions of any form of dissident protest and the criminalisation of political engagement and citizen voices have a detrimental impact on freedom of expression and restrict the diversity of opinions expressed about the election process. Such diversity of opinions on the process and the freedom to express them in public and online spaces are important in enabling citizens to make informed choices. Failing to secure authorisation for a protest doesn't make it unlawful. The ban on protests and their repressions during the election process violate the constitution of Côte d'Ivoireand its regional and international norms that guarantee freedom of expression during and outside of election periods,' said Alfred Bulakali Nkuru, Regional Director for ARTICLE 19 West Africa.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the Ivorian authorities to guarantee freedom of expression, plurality of information, diversity of opinions, including dissenting ones, in the civic and political space, and to cease all forms of harassment against political actors and civil society. We call on the government to ensure respect for fundamental freedoms throughout the electoral process in accordance with human rights, democracy and good governance standards, in particular those set out in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and in the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

The Ivorian government's actions against protesters not only contravene these norms but also risk deepening mistrust ahead of the election. ARTICLE 19 therefore urges Côte d'Ivoire to align its policing practices with the Model Protocol.

A peaceful climate that respects the rule of law is crucial in this election in order to guarantee peaceful and violence-free elections.

For more information, please contact:

ARTICLE 19 West Africa Maateuw Mbaye, Program Officer/Protection & Civic Space E: [email protected]; Mobile : + 221785958337

Office Line: +221338690322 E: [email protected]