Ex-first lady Simone Gbagbo makes historic bid to become Ivory Coast’s first female president
Ehivet, who will be contesting under a Movement of Skilled Generations party ticket, faces four other candidates, including current president Alassane Ouattara, who is pursuing a fourth term in office.
Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, 76, the ex-wife of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, is running for president in the Ivory Coast this Saturday, aiming to become the country's first female leader.
Ehivet, who will be contesting under a Movement of Skilled Generations party ticket, faces four other candidates, including current president Alassane Ouattara, who is pursuing a fourth term in office.
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"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," she told the Associated Press during a campaign tour in Guibéroua, southern Ivory Coast.
Ehivet, who was nicknamed the "iron lady" for her strong influence in Ivorian politics, began her political career as a teacher and trade unionist, leading campaigns for multiparty democracy in the 1970s.
She later rose to national prominence alongside her then-husband, Gbagbo, taking an active role in governance during his presidency from 2000 to 2010. Reports indicate that she was often involved in decision-making processes during the period marked by civil war and political unrest.
The couple's tenure ended in crisis following the disputed 2010 presidential election. Refusing to concede defeat to Ouattara, Gbagbo and Ehivet took refuge in a bunker at the presidential residence in Abidjan as post-election violence erupted, leaving approximately 3,000 people dead.
The standoff ended in 2011 when French and UN-backed forces stormed the residence, arresting the duo. Gbagbo was later tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the post-election violence but was acquitted.
Ehivet also faced her own legal challenges, with the ICC issuing a warrant against her in 2012 for alleged crimes against humanity. However, the warrant was lifted in 2021 following her husband's acquittal.
In 2015, she was handed a 20-year prison sentence by an Ivorian court on counts including undermining state security, but was granted amnesty by Ouattara in 2018 and returned to political life. The couple later divorced in 2023, ending a decades-long personal and political alliance.
She is now seeking election on a platform of social welfare and national unity, highlighting the country's inequality and divisions from past conflicts.
According to analysts, her chances are slim because many of Ouattara's prominent rivals, including Tidjane Thiam, have been disqualified from contesting in the polls.
"I think the wise thing to do would be to turn out en masse to vote and defeat the candidate they don't want," she said.
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