00:00The Ivarian government has imposed the ban on public meetings and demonstrations aimed
00:04at contesting the exclusion of key opposition figures from the upcoming presidential election
00:10on October 25.
00:12The decision follows the publication of the final approved candidate list by the Constitutional
00:16Council.
00:17Several prominent opposition leaders were struck by the ballot.
00:21Among them are T.G.
00:23Ntiem, a former CEO of Credit Suisse and head of Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, former
00:28President Laurent Gbagbo, Charles-Blai Goudet and Guillaume Sereau.
00:33Tiem's disqualification is linked to a court ruling that he held French nationality at the
00:38time of registering, despite having renounced it earlier this year.
00:42Thousands have taken to the streets and protested in Abidjan's Youfou Gon Sober, crowds gathered
00:48with banners reading enough is enough.
00:50The government says the ban are necessary to maintain public order, citing false information
00:55and unrest tied to these rallies.
00:58But critics argue that exclusion and the ban on protests mark a troubling erosion of democratic
01:04norms.
Comments