Ivory Coast’s 82-year-old President Alassane Ouattara Thursday said that he is healthy enough to serve a fourth term in office, as the West African nation prepares for its 2025 elections.
Ouattara made the announcement during a meeting with diplomatic corps in the capital, Abidjan.
“I am in good health and eager to continue serving my country,” the president said.
Ouattara, who was re-elected for a contested third term in 2020, has previously said he would like to step down, but also suggested he would need old rivals to commit to withdrawing from politics too.
The Ivorian leader argues that a 2016 constitution reset his two-term limit, though opposition parties disagree.
Through a motion passed in September 2024, top officials of Ivory Coast’s ruling Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) pledged support for Ouattara’s leadership for the next presidential race.
