Cote d'Ivoire: Election-related rally scheduled for September 13 in Abidjan

Event

An election-related rally is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 13, in the Cocody area of Abidjan. The event is being held to invest opposition Generations and People in Solidarity (GPS) leader Guillaume Soro as the party's candidate in the upcoming October 31 presidential elections. The event is scheduled to take place at Hotel Belle Cite in the Cocody area.

Context

President Alassane Ouattara announced on August 7 that he would be standing for a third term in presidential elections scheduled to be held on October 31. The president had been expected to stand down at the end of his current term, but the sudden death of his would-be successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, on July 8 left the ruling RHDP coalition with no clear candidate going into the polls. However, Ouattara's decision to stand again has been opposed by the opposition and civil society groups. Unrest linked to the issue has resulted in several fatalities and dozens of arrests.

Advice

Those in Cote d'Ivoire are advised to monitor developments and remain apprised of the political situation, avoid all public demonstrations and political gatherings as a precaution, avoid discussing sensitive political topics in public and heed all instructions issued by the local authorities.