YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – With barely seven months until the Presidential election in Ivory Coast, Catholic bishops in the West African country have warned politicians against instigating the life-loving people to “cultivate a culture of death.”
Ivoirians go to the polls October 25 in what promises to be a very significant election, given the kinds of candidates on the ballot: President Allassane Ouattarra is likely to seek re-election, but could be challenged by former President Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to concede defeat in the 2010 presidential election to Mr Allassane Ouattara led to a violent conflict that claimed around 3,000 lives.
Businessman Tidjane Thiam, former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan, Minister of Trade Jean-Louis Billon, and former first lady Simone Gbagbo have also declared themselves as candidates.
The political climate remains tense, with debates over candidate eligibility and concerns about past electoral violence taking center stage. Tidjane Thiam, for instance, recently renounced his French citizenship to meet the eligibility criteria for the presidency.
In a March 24 Pastoral Letter sent to Crux, Catholic bishops warn of possible problems if care isn’t taken during the next election.
“It is a recurrent occurrence that during election periods, at the instigation of politicians, the inhabitants of our beautiful country, who nevertheless love life, cultivate death and become fratricidal to the point of forgetting that they only have one common home: Côte d’Ivoire,” the bishops said.
Ivory Coast began its journey to multi-party competitive politics 35 years ago, with the strong demand for political alternation at the time leading to a profound change in mentality with political, institutional and social choices that gave Ivoirians a new practice of freedom and political education in the service of the nation.
“The road travelled, from a global perspective, has not consisted of an individual triumph but that of the entire nation: thirty-five (35) years of political practice punctuated by dialogue to safeguard the common good and the quest for a state governed by the rule of law,” the bishops noted.
“Unfortunately, the last few decades have focused on tailor-made politics for the benefit of partisan interests,” they said.
It was the case in 1999 when President Henri Konan Bédié was overthrown by a group of soldiers, led by retired General Robert Guéï. It was the first coup in the nation since its independence in 1960.
The coup was fueled by widespread dissatisfaction with Bédié’s administration, which faced accusations of corruption and economic mismanagement. The concept of “Ivoirité” introduced under Bédié also deepened ethnic and political divisions, further destabilizing the country.
Following the coup, Guéï established a transitional government, dissolving the parliament and other institutions. This event set the stage for a period of political instability that would later escalate into civil conflict.
“The coup d’état of 1999 and the armed rebellion of 2002 plunged the country into a dramatic socio-political situation with its share of death and desolation. Political idolatry, with the 2010 and 2020 elections, has put on hold the human values that are the invariable compass from which political culture with a human face draws its raison d’être. Indeed, the current political situation, in a society that is constantly changing, continues to cause anxiety among Ivoirians, who ultimately see politics as the arena of all dangers,” the bishops said.
They complained that the Ivorian people have been taken hostage by politicians of all stripes over the past few years, who have turned schools, the administration, the media and trade unions into ideological apparatuses.
And the current socio-political situation “is hardly reassuring.”
They complained about a prevailing culture of violence, the phenomenon of “microbes” – drugs in schools – the ban on political demonstrations, the buying of consciences, the fact that political opponents remain in prison or in exile, the indecent, discourteous, identity-based rhetoric and the high cost of living –all of these serving “to reinforce the feeling of mistrust and the social tension of fear and stress.”
In the Jubilee year 2025, the bishops said there still are reasons to hope, warning that the October 25 elections must not turn out like the 2010 and 2020 elections, both of which ended with deadly violence.
“This new election must not turn into a crisis, social unrest with its corollary of inter-community conflict, family break-up, delinquency, lies, humiliation and dehumanization,” the bishops warned.
They called for “a fair, transparent, inclusive and peaceful presidential election,” and urged the Independent Electoral Commission to build confidence by complying with the most objective standards of transparency and impartiality. They also urged political parties to put nation above party and called on the media to show impartiality in their coverage of the election.
“Through his mercy, may our country finally experience the joy of a fair, transparent, inclusive and peaceful presidential election,” they said.
“Let us no longer put our country and its inhabitants in danger. We want no more post-electoral conflict! No more war! No more deaths!”
