In a surprising turn, Ivory Coast’s former First Lady Simone Gbagbo, 76, has been cleared to run in the October 25, 2025, presidential election, joining President Alassane Ouattara and three others in a high-stakes race.

Her candidacy, alongside the disqualification of prominent figures like her ex-husband, former President Laurent Gbagbo, has sparked debates about the election’s fairness and raised fears of potential unrest in a nation still healing from past political violence.

Simone Gbagbo’s inclusion among the five approved candidates by the Constitutional Council is a historic moment for Ivory Coast, where women hold only 30% of parliamentary seats and rarely occupy top leadership roles. Known as “The Iron Lady,” she is now the strongest female contender for the presidency in the country’s history.

Her campaign, under the slogan “build a new nation” within a “sovereign, dignified, and prosperous Africa,” carries symbolic weight, with political analyst Severin Yao Kouamés noting, “She’s not just a candidate—she’s a symbol of what Ivorian women can achieve.” The election, however, is shadowed by controversy.

President Ouattara, 83, is seeking a fourth term after a 2016 constitutional change reset his term limits, a move that allowed his 2020 landslide victory amid an opposition boycott and deadly unrest that claimed at least 85 lives. The Constitutional Council’s decision to bar former President Laurent Gbagbo, former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan, and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam has intensified concerns about the vote’s legitimacy.

Thiam, disqualified due to his prior French citizenship, called the ruling “an act of democratic vandalism” and accused Ouattara’s administration of rigging the process to retain power. Laurent Gbagbo, Simone’s ex-husband, was excluded due to a 2018 conviction for looting the central bank during the 2010 post-election crisis, which killed over 3,000 people. Despite a 2020 presidential pardon, his voting and candidacy rights were not restored. He was also acquitted of separate crimes against humanity charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Simone Gbagbo faced similar charges, receiving a 20-year sentence in 2015 for her role in the 2010 violence, but was granted amnesty in 2018 by Ouattara to promote reconciliation. Unlike her ex-husband, her voter registration remained intact, paving the way for her candidacy.

The other approved candidates include Henriette Lagou Adjoua, representing the Political Partners for Peace coalition, marking two women in the race. With 8.7 million registered voters, the campaign officially begins October 10.

Simone Gbagbo, who divorced Laurent in 2023 after over 30 years of marriage, has rebuilt her political base since parting ways with the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), which she co-founded. It remains unclear whether Laurent will back her campaign.