Côte d’Ivoire Holds Presidential Election As ECOWAS, AU Observers Monitor Peaceful Polls

On Saturday, October 25, 2025, citizens of Côte d’Ivoire headed to the polls to elect their next President of the Republic for a five-year term. Approximately 8.7 million registered voters participated in this two-round election, choosing from five candidates approved by the Constitutional Council: incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, Madam Simone Éhivet Gbagbo, Mr. Jean-Louis Billon, Mr. Ahoua Don Mello, and Madame Henriette Lagou Adjoua.

To support transparency and democratic integrity, a joint ECOWAS-African Union (AU) observer mission was deployed across the country. Led by Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the delegation included Mr. Mahamat Saleh Annadif, head of the AU delegation; Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs and Peace; Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Ambassador Fanta Cissé, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Côte d’Ivoire; and other senior officials.

The delegation visited polling stations in the Abidjan municipalities of Cocody, Abobo, and Koumassi to observe the start of voting operations. A second ECOWAS team, led by H.E. Baboucarr Blaise Ismaïla Jagne, conducted additional visits across the economic capital.

At midday, Prof. Osinbajo received briefings from ECOWAS experts stationed in the situation room and from the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Côte d’Ivoire) electoral platform. Based on field visits and reports from the ECOWAS long-term observation team, the mission commended the high voter turnout—particularly among women—and the calm, orderly atmosphere prevailing throughout the day.

The head of the joint mission urged Ivorians to maintain this peaceful momentum and allow the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) to carry out its mandate. He called on all stakeholders to respect the official results as declared by the competent authorities, exercise restraint, seek consensus, and resolve any disputes through legal channels.

In addition to ECOWAS and the AU, other international bodies also deployed observers, including the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), and the Council of the Entente.

Following the compilation of reports from the 250 observers deployed by ECOWAS and the AU, the head of the ECOWAS Electoral Mission will hold a press conference on Monday, October 27, 2025, to present a preliminary statement on the conduct of the election.