Ahoua DON-MELLO, Vice-President of the African People’s Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPACI), has officially declared his candidacy for the 2025 Ivorian presidential election.
The announcement was made during a press conference on Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Abidjan. This declaration comes amid an ongoing internal debate within the PPACI regarding its strategy for the upcoming election, particularly following the exclusion of former President Laurent GBAGBO from the final electoral list.
DON-MELLO, who is also the Vice-President of the International BRICS Alliance, has been a prominent figure in the PPACI and a long-time associate of Laurent GBAGBO. He described his candidacy as a “precautionary” measure to prevent the party from adopting an “empty chair policy,” which could allow the current regime to win the election unopposed.
This idea of “precautionary candidacies” had been previously leaked to the press, provoking public discussion and revealing the strategic divisions within the PPACI.
In his speech, DON-MELLO outlined his extensive background as a civil engineer, university lecturer, and inventor, while also detailing his long history of political activism that began in the 1980s. He identified himself as a “socialist and sovereigntist democrat from a communist background,” emphasizing his commitment to Pan-Africanism and state sovereignty. He framed his candidacy as an opportunity for Côte d’Ivoire to join a new “multipolar world order” and escape Western dominance.
DON-MELLO’s declaration follows the official announcement of incumbent President Alassane Ouattara’s candidacy and the exclusion of several other opposition leaders, including Tidjane THIAM, Guillaume SORO, and Charles Blé GOUDE, from the electoral list.
His decision to run represents a significant moment for the PPACI, marking a departure from the party’s traditional “Gbagbo or nothing” stance. Many observers view this move as a potential division in the opposition bloc, although DON-MELLO insists that his candidacy aims to consolidate leftist forces and ensure the continuation of the democratic struggle in that West African nation.
