In an interview with La Dépêche Diplomatique Afrique, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, president of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) and a leading figure of the opposition, once again expressed his opposition to a potential fourth-term candidacy of Alassane Ouattara.
With five months to go before this crucial election, and as the Head of State remains unclear about whether he intends to run again, the former Prime Minister now a declared candidate condemned what he describes as a “flagrant violation” of the Constitution and a denial of democratic alternation.

Violation of the Constitution

“Having violated the Constitution once does not give anyone the right to violate it again. The Constitution is clear: no Ivorian can remain in power for more than 10 years. President Alassane Ouattara is currently serving an illegal term, obtained in breach of the Constitution, and we cannot allow him to persist,” stated Affi N’Guessan forcefully, citing provisions of the country’s fundamental law.

In 2020, President Alassane Ouattara’s bid for a third term deemed illegal by the opposition led to violent protests. For the FPI leader, a key player in the wave of opposition alongside the late Henri Konan Bédié and Guillaume Soro, Ouattara’s third term in 2020 did not “reset the clock”:

“Beyond the constitutional principle, he publicly declared on several occasions that he would step down and pass the torch to a new generation.
In 2020, he claimed the death of his chosen candidate was a ‘force majeure’ situation. But in 2025, no such case can be made. Alassane Ouattara must step aside so that Côte d’Ivoire can breathe,” he declared.

Despite some disagreements, it is worth recalling that the Ivorian opposition has been engaged since the beginning of the electoral process in a struggle to obtain from the government the conditions necessary for peaceful and fair elections. When asked about the idea of a fragmented opposition, he downplayed the divisions:
“Together, we will work to enforce fair electoral conditions that will make political alternation possible. The desire for change is very strong, considering what the country has endured in terms of freedoms, in the social sphere, and in governance. This has been going on for 15 years. It is up to us to turn our people’s aspiration for change into reality.”

He also questioned the stability claimed by the regime, saying:
“Stability is not just the absence of war: it’s the normalization of the situation, the easing of tensions both internally and with our neighbors. But the country is under pressure, with accusations of destabilization being made daily. There is no lasting stability only a fragile calm that could break at any moment.”