Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced his candidacy for a fourth term in office. The 83-year-old leader made the declaration in a televised address on July 29, ending weeks of speculation. On June 22, during the congress of the ruling Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), he had promised to communicate his decision “in the coming days.”
Ouattara justified his decision by citing his good health and what he described as repeated calls from citizens to continue leading the country “in its best interest.”
His declaration is similar to that of Cameroon’s out going president Paul Biya, who at 91 is seeking a new mandate in the country’s upcoming October election. Both men, among Africa’s longest-ruling leaders are pushing for extended stay in power after altering their respective constitutions to remove term limits: Ouattara’s regime revised Ivory Coast’s constitution in 2016, while Biya’s government did the same in 2008. In both countries, opposition figures have been excluded from the race on controversial legal grounds.
In Ivory Coast, four prominent opposition candidates were disqualified last June after the electoral commission removed their names from the final voter list. Among them is Tidjane Thiam, leader of the main opposition party, who was barred on the grounds that he was still a French citizen when he declared his candidacy.
He decried the move as a sign that the country had “abandoned democracy.”
Similarly, in Cameroon, Maurice Kamto, widely regarded as the main challenger to Biya was recently disqualified by the country ‘s electoral body (ELECAM). The official reasons given were widely seen as flimsy and politically motivated.
The similarities between both regimes are striking: aging presidents in their 80s and 90s, constitutional overhauls to extend rule, suppression of opposition candidates, and electoral victories that follow heavily tilted campaigns.
Both leaders also justify their renewed bids with claims that they alone possess the experience to handle national crises. As Ouattara put it:
“Our country is facing unprecedented security, economic and monetary challenges, the management of which requires experience. The terrorist threat is growing in the sub-region and international economic uncertainties pose risks for our country.”
His remarks echo those of Paul Biya, who, when announcing his intention to seek a seventh term, admitted that “much remains to be done,” while promising: “The best is yet to come”, this after nearly 43 years in power.
