Laurent Gbagbo calls for a “multifaceted and permanent” protest six months before the presidential election

PPA-CI leader announces protest movement ahead of presidential election

Six months ahead of the October 2025 presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo has called on his supporters to step up their mobilization for inclusive and transparent elections. At a meeting of the central committee of his party, the Parti des Peuples Africains-Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), held on Saturday April 26, he announced the creation of a protest movement entitled “Trop, c’est trop”. The former Ivorian president, who was excluded from the electoral roll due to judicial convictions, insisted on the need for a “multifaceted and permanent” protest.

Support for PDCI and a call to action

As soon as the meeting opened, Laurent Gbagbo expressed his support for the Parti Démocratique de Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), whose candidate, Tidjane Thiam, had also been struck off the electoral roll. He declared: “We won’t let the PDCI die. We will give it our support, expecting nothing in return.” Gbagbo insisted on the importance of maintaining a space for all political expressions in the country.

The former president also reaffirmed his determination to fight for the inclusiveness of the election. “I’m here, I’m in my place and the battle goes on”, he declared, before specifying that the protest would not take place immediately, but when his adversary did not expect it. He then announced the creation of the “Trop, c’est trop” movement, designed to organize a protest that could take several forms.

A call to mobilize against precariousness

In his speech, Gbagbo appealed to those suffering economic hardship, declaring, “Is life too expensive for you? We open the doors for you.” He said it was imperative to give a voice to those suffering the consequences of current politics. He added: “We can’t go on like this, in the slush, with our feet in the slush, always in the slush. It’s not possible.”

The PPA-CI central committee then urged its militants to “go out and meet those who are being crushed more and more by precariousness”, and announced that an evaluation of the “Trop, c’est trop” movement would take place in the first half of June 2025. On that date, the party could envisage a new stage in its struggle.

A challenge to the electoral process

The meeting concluded with a call for Laurent Gbagbo’s name to be reinstated on the electoral roll, and for a consensual electoral body to be set up. The PPA-CI also called for an audit and revision of the electoral roll before the 2025 presidential election. The central committee meeting took place at a time when the PPA-CI has withdrawn from the Independent Electoral Commission, which it considers to be unbalanced.

Conclusion

With six months to go to the presidential elections, Laurent Gbagbo and the PPA-CI are stepping up their protest against what they see as an unfair electoral process. Through the “Trop, c’est trop” movement, they are seeking to mobilize Ivorians around an active protest, while calling for a review of electoral conditions to ensure an inclusive and fair election.