Supporters of former Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo say they will file his candidacy in his name for the country’s highly anticipated election on October 31.
Last year, Gbagbo was acquitted by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity and currently lives in Belgium pending a possible appeal by the prosecution.
He was also sentenced in absentia by an Ivorian court to a 20-year term for looting a regional bank during the 2010 post-election crisis.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has been urged to intervene on President Alassane Ouattara’s bid for a third term in the poll – which his opponents say is unconstitutional.
Former Ivory Coast rebel leader, Guillaume Soro in a letter to Macron said Ivorians have noticed France’s silence on the matter.
He said France had hailed Ouattara’s initial announcement that he would not seek re-election, but had been quiet after the president accepted his party’s nomination for a third term.
Soro and Gbagbo have been barred from vying because of their previous convictions.
Soro was convicted in absentia in April 2020 of embezzlement and money laundering.
Political tensions are running high in the world’s top cocoa grower ahead of the election, seen as a key test for one of Africa’s most vibrant economies over the past decade.
At least eight people have been killed and about 100 wounded in clashes that have erupted since Ouattara announced earlier this month, his decision to run for a controversial third term.