The former wife of Laurent Gbagbo, Simone Ehivet, aged 75, and president of the political party "Movement of Capable Generations" (MGC), was officially nominated on Saturday in Moosou, near Abidjan, as a candidate for the upcoming Presidential election scheduled for 2025 in Côte d’Ivoire. Her candidacy adds to the uncertainty surrounding the Ivorian presidential race.
Designated by her political party, Simone Ehivet promised during a speech at the MGC's first convention to build a new and improved version of her country.
"I have accepted to run as a candidate in the October 2025 presidential election because I deeply believe that every Ivorian, regardless of their circumstances, is capable, if they truly desire, of overcoming all kinds of challenges to dream, create, build, and succeed," she stated.
With the MGC, established two years ago, Simone Ehivet aims to make national reconciliation through amnesty, food sovereignty, industrialization, and the introduction of mandatory military and civic service her cornerstone goals if elected to Côte d’Ivoire’s highest office.
"I would like to make you a bold proposal: to build a completely transformed, modernized, and prosperous Côte d’Ivoire within a confident, developed, equipped, influential, strong, and respected Africa," she added.
Simone Ehivet was arrested alongside her husband in April 2011 following the post-electoral crisis that resulted in approximately 3,000 deaths. In 2015, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Côte d’Ivoire for "endangering state security" before being granted amnesty in 2018 in the name of national reconciliation.
On a personal level, her divorce from Laurent Gbagbo, initiated in 2021 after his return to Abidjan and finalized in 2023, marked a symbolic rupture in an alliance once seen as inseparable.
A Highly Polarized Political Landscape
The 2025 presidential election, already featuring several prominent figures, unfolds in a context of heightened polarization. Alongside Simone Gbagbo, other candidates have declared their intentions to run, including Laurent Gbagbo, despite his current ineligibility due to a 20-year prison sentence linked to the 2010-2011 crisis.
A Political Climate Under Strain
Simone Ehivet Gbagbo's announcement comes amidst a politically fragile environment, with lingering scars from past crises. Côte d’Ivoire continues to struggle with the wounds of civil war and deep ethnic and political divisions. Criticism over concentrated power, economic challenges, and difficulties achieving genuine national reconciliation further fuel uncertainties.
The former First Lady’s candidacy seeks to convey a message of hope and transformation. She has called for the creation of a "great Ivorian nation, reconciled, strong, just, and equitable." However, observers note that her past and association with controversial episodes in the country's recent history may weigh on her ability to unite beyond her loyal base of supporters.
As Simone Ehivet Gbagbo positions herself as an alternative for a modern and reconciled Côte d’Ivoire, the path to realizing this ambition is fraught with challenges. The stakes go beyond her candidacy: they hinge on whether the nation can finally turn the page on its divisions and embrace a future of stability and shared prosperity.
