After initially signaling his intent to step away, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has been re-elected as leader of the Parti des peuples africains – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) during the party’s first ordinary congress. Now 80 years old, Gbagbo continues to command strong support from his base despite ongoing challenges facing the organization.
Gbagbo, who served as president from 2000 to 2011, was barred from running in the October 2025 presidential election due to a prior criminal conviction that disqualified him from voter registration. His party chose not to endorse any candidate in that contest and subsequently boycotted the December legislative elections, leaving the PPA-CI without parliamentary representation and with only a handful of local mayors.
Party congress reaffirms Gbagbo’s leadership
The decision to retain Gbagbo as party leader was formally announced on the final day of the congress in Abidjan’s Treichville convention center, following enthusiastic acclamation from several thousand delegates the previous evening. Upon his arrival, Gbagbo was greeted with warm applause from supporters who had gathered for the event.
“I am delighted to be in this vibrant atmosphere and thank you all,” Gbagbo remarked in a brief statement. He is scheduled to deliver a longer address the following day in Songon, a southern suburb of Abidjan.
Just months earlier, in October 2025, Gbagbo had publicly stated his intention to retire from political office, declaring he would “refrain from holding any political functions.” Despite these remarks, the party’s rank-and-file overwhelmingly endorsed his continued leadership.
Party solidarity and internal discipline
The congress also passed a resolution expressing strong support for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a coalition comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—countries led by military juntas with which Côte d’Ivoire maintains strained relations. The motion was met with enthusiastic approval from delegates.
Additionally, sanctions were imposed on party members accused of disobedience. Ahoua Don Mello, who ran against party directives in the 2025 presidential race, was expelled, while Stéphane Kipré, who contested legislative elections as an independent and won a seat, received an 18-month suspension.
The once-unified left-wing movement that Gbagbo once represented has since fragmented, with prominent figures such as his former spouse Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, close ally Charles Blé Goudé, and former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan all departing from the PPA-CI.
Gbagbo’s political future remains closely tied to his potential reinstatement on voter rolls, which would require amnesty from President Alassane Ouattara—his successor since the 2011 post-election crisis that pitted their factions against one another.