Simone Gbagbo, first lady of Ivory Coast between October 2000 and April 2011, is running for president in the country that once incarcerated her.
After her husband, Laurent Gbagbo lost the 2010 presidential elections, a post-election violence that claimed nearly 3,000 lives was blamed on the couple, putting them on the wanted list of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
She was jailed for 20 years in 2015 for crimes against Ivory Coast but received a presidential pardon three years later.
7 years later, she has returned to the political scene to clinch the highest seat of the land, challenging the man who pardoned her, Alassane Ouattara , after founding her political party, Movement of Skilled Generations party in 2022.
Simone hopes to be the first woman president of Ivory Coast, even though several political observers believe that is unlikely.
She joins two other women who have tried to apply for the position namely Anne Jacqueline Lohouès-Oble in 2010 and Henriette Lagou Adjoua in 2015.
“I think this idea (of a female president) is much less shocking than it was 20 years ago. It’s good for a woman to run, and not just because it’s me. But if it’s me, then so much the better,” Simone said after a presidential campaign outing in Guibéroua in southern Ivory Coast.
Incumbent president, Ouattara’s intention to seek a 4th term in office at 83 years has sparked controversy with widespread demonstrations.
In 2016, he amended the constitution, resetting term limits from a one-time renewable 5-year term. He justified the move citing a need for “experienced leadership.” He has been in office since 2011.
Simone Ehivet Gbagbo however believes the population is not in favor of Ouattara’s leadership and the October 25 elections should prove it.
“Ivorians are angry and frustrated, and rightly so. I think the wise thing to do would be to turn out in masse to vote and defeat the candidate they don’t want,” she told AFP.
Described by many as the ‘Iron lady’, Simone has made a name for herself in Ivorian politics, which she has been involved for more than 3 decades.
The 76-year-old has been imprisoned several times during Ivory Coast’s struggle for multi-party elections.
