On Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Abobo, a working-class district in northern Abidjan, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, president of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), declared that he has the ideal profile to ensure a transition between President Alassane Ouattara’s generation and the one preparing to take over in Côte d’Ivoire.
Speaking at a ceremony organized by the FPI Women’s Organization to mark International Women’s Day, Mr. Affi officially announced his candidacy for the October 2025 presidential election. “I am counting on you. I have the profile to be the bridge between the generation of Ouattara and Bédié and the one that’s coming, but not yet ready,” he told the audience.
A vocal critic of President Alassane Ouattara’s administration, he argued that after 15 years in power, “the cause of the people has regressed in Côte d’Ivoire.” He emphasized the need for political change, stating that his platform will place people at the center of priorities. “We are here to get Côte d’Ivoire back on its feet. Our policy is centered on human beings. For the women of Côte d’Ivoire, there is an urgent need to change direction, because those in power have done nothing for the people,” he said.
Confident that the time for change has come, the former Prime Minister declared: “This year, we must turn the page, because their time is over.” He also pledged that under his leadership, no child would be left on the streets and that education and literacy would be top priorities.
In another significant announcement, Pascal Affi N’Guessan promised to create an Ivorian Women’s Bank to improve women’s access to credit and promote their economic empowerment.