Côte d'Ivoire: justice confirms the deletion of Laurent Gbagbo from the electoral list

Laurent Gbagbo, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, January 15, 2019. Peter Dejong / Pool via REUTERS / File Photo

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Former President Laurent Gbagbo is indeed struck off the Ivorian electoral list. Justice confirmed the decision of the Independent Electoral Commission made last week. No appeal is possible before an Ivorian court. No longer being a voter, he cannot be a candidate.

Publicity

Read more

With our correspondent in Abidjan, Pierre Pinto

Five days before the deadline for submitting files, a possible candidacy of Laurent Gbagbo for the presidential election of October 31, except for a major twist, is impossible.

The Plateau Court of First Instance in Abidjan, seized by the former president's lawyers, confirmed on Tuesday August 25 the decision of the Electoral Commission to remove Laurent Gbagbo's name from the voters list. Although he did not stand as a candidate, this eventuality hoped for by his supporters is now to be ruled out.

Case of the "BCEAO robbery"

The reason for this delisting is the conviction of Laurent Gbagbo, in his absence, by the Ivorian justice, to 20 years in prison in the so-called “BCEAO robbery” case. During the post-electoral crisis of 2010-2011, his regime, then under a financial embargo, had used the coffers of the local agency of the Central Bank of West African States to provide itself with liquidity . After being rejected by the CEI and then by the Ivorian justice, the lawyer for the former president is considering the possibility of seizing a regional court.

In Brussels, where he has been living since his parole by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Laurent Gbagbo, to whom international law allows to travel to Côte d'Ivoire, is still awaiting an Ivorian passport to return to the country.

► To read also: "Breaking of the BCEAO" in Ivory Coast: twenty years in prison for the condemned

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Ivory Coast
  • Laurent Gbagbo

On the same subject

Ivory Coast: Alassane Ouattara confident for a peaceful conduct of the elections

Ivory Coast

"Breaking of the BCEAO" in Ivory Coast: twenty years in prison for the condemned