Charles Blé Goudé, leader of the opposition party Cojep, has reacted to the decision of Côte d’Ivoire’s Constitutional Council to exclude him from the list of candidates for the October 2025 presidential election.
On September 8, the Council published the final list of candidates, approving only five out of sixty applications. Blé Goudé’s candidacy, along with that of several other prominent figures, was rejected.
He said the time for accusations within the opposition was over and stressed that unity at the ballot box was the only way forward. He argued that Ivorians were not condemned to repeat past mistakes and that peace and stability were the foundation for building a future of dignity and unity.
Blé Goudé emphasized that change was possible and must be pursued collectively, calling on all opposition parties and candidates who were disqualified, including Laurent Gbagbo, Pascal Affi N’guessan, Tidjane Thiam, Assalé Tiémoko, and Vincent Toh Bi, to rally behind the same cause.
The opposition leader insisted that the only path to political transformation without violence was through the ballot box. While acknowledging widespread mistrust in the electoral system, he argued that no alternative existed.
