This archive report was first published on 19 October 2019.
Published on October 19, 2019, thousands of supporters of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) and the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) gathered in Yamoussoukro, the birthplace of former president Felix Houphouet-Boigny, ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
The rally, which took place in John Paul II Square, was a show of force by the opposition parties as they prepare to choose their candidate for the election.
"We are now at a decisive stage before the conference to choose our candidate," said PDCI deputy leader Maurice Kakou Guikahue.
Former Ivory Coast president and party leader Henri Konan Bedie called for reforms to ensure the independence of the electoral commission ahead of the vote.
"Ahead of the next presidential election, the PDCI and its allies are more determined than ever to take up the reins of government," Bedie said.
Former Ivory Coast rebel leader Guillaume Soro, also an ex-president of the country's parliament, announced his intention to run in the 2020 presidential poll.
The election is a key challenge for the West African country after its disputed 2010-2011 ballot ended in violence between rival supporters that left 3,000 people dead.
