Former First Lady of Ivory Coast, Simone Gbagbo, has announced her candidacy for October’s presidential election, marking a dramatic return to frontline politics more than a decade after she was forced from power alongside her ex-husband, Laurent Gbagbo.
The 76-year-old, once dubbed the country’s “iron lady,” was this week surprisingly cleared to contest despite her criminal conviction. At a rally, she urged Ivorians to join her in building what she called “a new nation,” pledging to modernise the country and create prosperity.
Gbagbo, who co-founded the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) with her former husband, was long seen as one of the most influential figures in Ivorian politics. Supporters fondly call her “maman,” while opponents fear her tough reputation.
Her political career, however, has been overshadowed by the civil conflict that followed the disputed 2010 election, in which more than 3,000 people were killed after Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to current president Alassane Ouattara.
Simone Gbagbo was arrested with her husband in 2011 after the pair took refuge in a bunker as pro-Ouattara forces, backed by French troops, advanced on Abidjan. She was later sentenced to 20 years in prison for undermining state security but was granted amnesty in 2018 as part of a national reconciliation effort.
Though she and Laurent Gbagbo have since divorced, she has rebuilt her political career independently, founding the Movement of Capable Generations (MGC). Her entry into the race positions her as one of Ouattara’s strongest challengers after Laurent himself was barred from running.
If elected, Simone Gbagbo would become Ivory Coast’s first female president, a historic achievement in a country where women remain underrepresented in national leadership.
Despite her chequered past, analysts say her candidacy carries strong symbolic weight, combining decades of political activism, a loyal base of supporters, and the potential to reshape the political landscape of West Africa’s third-largest economy.
