The Générations et Peuples Solidaires (GPS) political movement has reacted strongly to the exclusion of its president, Guillaume Kigbafori Soro, from the provisional electoral list published on Wednesday March 19, 2025 by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI).
In a press release sent to BENINWEBTV, GPS points out that this exclusion goes against the decisions of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). In 2020, the latter ordered the Ivorian state to lift all restrictions preventing Guillaume Soro from exercising his civil rights.
“The refusal to execute these rulings reveals a clear desire on the part of the ruling power to flout the rule of law and arbitrarily exclude political opponents in the run-up to the 2025 presidential election”, deplores the movement.
GPS points out that the ACHPR, a supranational court to which Côte d’Ivoire is a signatory, has demanded that Guillaume Soro be reinstated on the electoral roll. However, this legally binding decision remains ignored by the Ivorian authorities. ” We are witnessing the instrumentalization of justice for political ends”, asserts the movement, pointing out that other political figures such as Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé have also been removed from the electoral roll.
For the GPS, this massive exclusion is clearly aimed at restricting the political field and locking in the 2025 presidential election. In the face of this attack on freedoms, the movement strongly reaffirms Guillaume Soro’s unwavering commitment to fighting exclusion and injustice in Côte d’Ivoire.
“Yesterday, he fought relentlessly against arbitrariness; nothing can make him give up today. On the contrary, his determination remains intact!” insists the press release, recalling that Guillaume Soro has always opposed all forms of injustice and political exclusion.
“Even today, he remains on his feet, determined to continue his fight for justice and democracy in Côte d’Ivoire. Those who think they can dismiss him through administrative maneuvers or silence him are mistaken. His commitment to a free, fair and democratic Côte d’Ivoire is unshakeable”, warns GPS, denouncing political strategies aimed at keeping the most feared candidates out of the presidential race.
“The powers that be are trying to make people believe that the 2025 presidential election has already been decided, that it will be nothing more than a masquerade marred by exclusions. Their strategy is clear: sow fear, demobilize the population and create a climate of resignation”, criticizes the movement, calling on the national and international community to address this “serious violation of civil and political rights in Côte d’Ivoire”.
“We call on national and international opinion to react to this flagrant violation and to ensure that the 2025 presidential election is not a repeat of the bloody polls of the past, marked by violence, repression and loss of life,”it concluded.