Simone Gbagbo, former First Lady of Ivory Coast, has officially announced her bid to run for the country’s presidency in the 2025 election.
The 75-year-old political figure, often referred to as the “Iron Lady” for her resilience and strong political presence, made the declaration on Saturday during the inaugural convention of her political movement, the Movement of the Capable Generations, held in Moossou, a suburb near the economic hub of Abidjan.
“I have agreed to be a candidate in the presidential election of October 2025,” she proclaimed to an enthusiastic audience, adding a personal commitment to redefine the nation’s future. “Because I deeply believe that every Ivorian, whatever their condition, is capable, if they really want to, of transcending all kinds of hardship in order to dream, to create, to build, and to succeed.”
In her address, Gbagbo painted a vision of a revitalized Ivory Coast. “I would like to make you a bold offer,” she declared, “the promise of building an Ivory Coast that is totally transformed, modernized, and prosperous, in an Africa that is free of complexes, developed, equipped, indispensable, strong, and respected by all.”
Her announcement comes over a decade after the country’s violent 2010–2011 post-election crisis. That conflict, which claimed the lives of approximately 3,000 people, was triggered by the refusal of her former husband, Laurent Gbagbo, to concede defeat to his rival, the current president, Alassane Ouattara.
Simone Gbagbo was arrested alongside Laurent Gbagbo in April 2011, she faced charges linked to the violence that erupted after the contested election. In 2015, she was convicted of undermining state security and sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, in 2018, she was granted amnesty as part of a national reconciliation effort.
Laurent Gbagbo, who himself was tried and later acquitted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, is barred from seeking the presidency due to a 20-year sentence handed down in absentia for his involvement in the looting of a bank during the crisis.
Upon his return to Ivory Coast in 2021 following his acquittal, Laurent Gbagbo initiated divorce proceedings. The separation was finalized in 2023.
Other prominent figures, such as former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and ex-Trade Minister Jean-Louis Billon, have also declared their intentions to contest the election.
President Ouattara has announced whether he will seek a controversial fourth term.
