Four opposition candidates are in the running for Ivory Coast’s presidential election Saturday, vying to rattle incumbent President Alassane Ouattara and face him off in a second round. Here is the ballot lineup, notably missing two main opponents Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, who were barred from running.- Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, 76, former first lady -Simone Ehivet Gbagbo’s political comeback follows her being granted amnesty in 2018, serving a seven-year prison sentence for crimes related to the bloody 2010-2011 crisis and divorcing her husband — civically and politically.The “Iron Lady” has not modified her positions much — she has toned down her anti-French rhetoric but maintains her anti-imperial beliefs.Her programme rests on three pillars: reconciliation, the transformation of raw materials and diplomatic sovereignty.As for the anti-Western juntas in the Sahel region, Gbagbo has said that “we pray for their success”, without rejecting Ivory Coast’s current partners or the idea of “living self-sufficiently”.Former pro-Gbagbo Young Patriots leader Charles Ble Goude has remained her loyal supporter, accompanying her on a close-quarter campaign around the country.- Jean-Louis Billon, 60, CEO -His reputation as Ivory Coast’s richest man is debatable, but Jean-Louis Billon, CEO of the agribusiness Sifca, is without doubt its largest private employer.The businessman of Franco-Ivorian descent has made no secret of his presidential ambitions, speaking about his plans openly since 2021 and earning a slap on the wrist from the largest opposition party of which he is a member, the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI).Despite Tidjane Thiam becoming PDCI leader in late 2023, Billon launched his own campaign without party endorsement.With Thiam out of the race, Billon is hoping for a share of the PDCI vote despite party calls not to support him.A self-proclaimed liberal, Billon served as commerce minister under Ouattara from 2011-2018 and has hedged his bets on private sector growth and reform of the informal sector to increase employment.- Ahoua Don Mello, 67, communist with Russian sympathies -Ahoua Don Mello initially ran as a “precautionary” candidate in case his mentor Laurent Gbagbo could not — a scenario that has become reality.Having failed to secure the support of Gbagbo’s African Peoples’ Party — Ivory Coast (PPA-CI), the civil engineer is campaigning as an independent candidate.Known for his impeccable Mao-collar suits, Don Mello espouses sovereign, communist policies.His programme focuses on economic decentralisation, sovereignty at all levels and a Pan-Africanism that holds the Sahel juntas in a favourable light.He wants to open up rural areas and increase local processing of raw materials, starting with cacao — of which Ivory Coast is the world’s top producer.Calling for an exit from the CFA franc and slamming the current government’s debt, the Secretary-General of the BRICS alliance does not conceal his Russian sympathies.The leftwing vote hangs in the balance between himself and Simone Ehivet Gbagbo.- Henriette Lagou, 66, moderate centrist -Henriette Lagou, who briefly served as family minister in the 2000s, ran for president in 2015 and gained 0.89 percent of the vote.Her success in managing to validate her candidacy this time round has elicited surprise. Lagou is representing GP-Peace, a coalition of small parties that describes itself as “moderate” and campaigns on peace and social justice.The candidate wants to launch a national reconciliation dialogue and increase the number of Ivorian healthcare centres and schools.”You can build factories all you want, but without peace, there is no development,” a campaign member said, comparing her to Liberia’s first elected woman president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
