The former First Lady of Ivory Coast, Simone Gbagbo, announced on Saturday that she will run for president in the 2025 election, pledging to create a new and better version of the West African nation.
Known as the “Iron Lady,” Gbagbo is the ex-wife of Laurent Gbagbo, the former Ivorian president who was the first head of state to stand trial for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, though he was acquitted.
“I have agreed to be a candidate in the presidential election of October 2025,” Gbagbo told her political movement’s inaugural convention in Moossou, near the economic capital, Abidjan.
She continued, “I deeply believe that every Ivorian, regardless of their circumstances, has the ability, if they truly desire it, to overcome hardship, dream, create, build, and succeed.”
The 75-year-old candidate outlined her vision: “I want to offer you a bold promise: to build an Ivory Coast that is completely transformed, modernized, and prosperous, in an Africa that is free of complexes, developed, equipped, indispensable, strong, and respected by all.”
Simone Gbagbo was arrested alongside her husband in April 2011 after a violent post-election crisis sparked by Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to concede defeat in the 2010 presidential race. The conflict resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths and pitted Simone against current President Alassane Ouattara.
In 2015, Simone Gbagbo was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to undermine state security but was granted amnesty in 2018 as part of a national reconciliation process.
Had Laurent Gbagbo not been ineligible to run due to a two-decade sentence for his role in a bank robbery, Simone Gbagbo would be facing him in the race. The couple, who divorced in 2023 after Laurent’s return to Abidjan following his acquittal, have been estranged since then.
Along with Simone Gbagbo, former prime minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and ex-trade minister Jean-Louis Billon have also declared their candidacies for president.
As of now, incumbent President Ouattara has not yet revealed whether he will seek a fourth term.
