Like Museveni and Mbasogo, Ouattara Tipped for Fourth Term as Côte d’Ivoire’s President

Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara appears poised to join the ranks of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, as his ruling party officially nominates him for a potential fourth term in office.

At a high-level party meeting on Saturday, the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) announced its endorsement of the 82-year-old leader. Former Prime Minister Patrick Achi proposed Ouattara’s name, which was swiftly and unanimously accepted by party delegates.

If Ouattara accepts the nomination — expected to be confirmed at a major rally on Sunday at Ebimpe Stadium — he would follow in the footsteps of regional strongmen like Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, whose extended stays in power have sparked international criticism and local discontent.

The timing of the endorsement is particularly contentious, coming just days after two major opposition figures — former president Laurent Gbagbo and PDCI leader Tidjane Thiam — were disqualified from contesting in the upcoming October 25 presidential election due to court rulings seen by many as politically motivated.

With the opposition sidelined and party machinery behind him, Ouattara’s path to a fourth term looks increasingly clear, though not without resistance. Gbagbo’s PPA-CI and Thiam’s PDCI have announced a new alliance, forming a “common front” to challenge what they call “creeping authoritarianism” and electoral manipulation by the ruling party.

Ouattara, who first came to power in 2011 after a disputed election that led to civil conflict, had previously indicated he would step down after his third term. However, in what critics describe as “constitutional gymnastics,” he ran again in 2020 after the death of his chosen successor, citing a revised constitution.