Former First Lady declares candidacy for Ivory Coast’s presidential election
Ivory Coast’s former first lady, Simone Gbagbo, has announced her candidacy for the country’s 2025 presidential election, promising to lead the nation into a new era of transformation and prosperity.
Speaking at the inaugural convention of her political movement, the Movement of the Capable Generations, in Moossou, near Abidjan, Gbagbo, 75, unveiled her vision for a modernized Ivory Coast.
“I have agreed to be a candidate in the presidential election of October 2025,” she declared. “I deeply believe that every Ivorian, whatever their condition, is capable, if they truly desire, of overcoming hardships to dream, create, build, and succeed.”
Nicknamed the “Iron Lady,” Simone Gbagbo vowed to build a nation that is “totally transformed, modernized, and prosperous, within an Africa that is free of complexes, developed, indispensable, and respected by all.”
Simone Gbagbo is no stranger to controversy. The ex-wife of former President Laurent Gbagbo, she was arrested alongside him in 2011 following a violent post-election crisis. The conflict, triggered by Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to concede defeat to current President Alassane Ouattara, claimed around 3,000 lives.
In 2015, Simone Gbagbo was sentenced to 20 years in prison for undermining state security but was granted amnesty in 2018 under a reconciliation initiative.
Her candidacy comes amid the continued political ripple effects of Laurent Gbagbo’s own career. The former president, who was acquitted by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity, is ineligible to run due to a separate conviction for looting a bank.
The Gbagbos’ tumultuous political and personal relationship ended in divorce in 2023, with Laurent Gbagbo initiating the separation after his return to Abidjan in 2021.
Simone Gbagbo will face a competitive field in her bid for the presidency. Former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and ex-Trade Minister Jean-Louis Billon have also declared their candidacies.
