Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has announced that he will withdraw from political life after the legislative elections scheduled for December 27, 2025, marking the end of a long career at the center of Côte d’Ivoire’s political scene.

In an interview with AFO Media on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, the 80-year-old former head of state — acquitted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2021 — declared that he would no longer seek any political office, either within his party, the African Peoples’ Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), or in government.

“There’s no such thing as retirement in politics, but I will forbid myself from holding any political office, within my party or in the State. I’ve given enough,” he said in an interview with journalist Alain Foka, confirming that he would not run in the next presidential election scheduled in five years.

Gbagbo also stated that he would not support any candidate in the October 25 election, calling the vote a “civil coup d’État.” According to him, several key opposition figures were “deliberately excluded” from the electoral process.

“What will happen on October 25 is not an election — it’s an electoral robbery,” he denounced.

Regarding the rejection of his own candidacy due to a conviction in the so-called BCEAO robbery case, the former president dismissed the decision as “purely political.”

“The BCEAO never said it was robbed. That’s false,” he insisted.

While refusing to issue voting instructions, Gbagbo expressed moral support for protesters opposing a possible fourth term for incumbent President Alassane Ouattara.

“I’m not calling on people to take to the streets, but I stand with those expressing their anger,” he said, while urging respect for the right to protest.

On the diplomatic front, Gbagbo called for strengthened cooperation between Côte d’Ivoire and Sahel countries, particularly Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, stressing that “the subregion forms an inseparable bloc.”

“Côte d’Ivoire cannot live without maintaining good relations with its neighbors. If I were in power, we would restore fraternal ties in a month,” he declared.

Finally, Laurent Gbagbo announced that he would step down as president of the PPA-CI following the party’s next congress, to be held after the legislative elections.

“After the congress, I will no longer be a candidate for the party’s leadership. There comes a time when one must stop,” he concluded.