More than a decade after she was dragged from a bunker alongside her then-husband, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, Simone Ehivet Gbagbo is attempting a dramatic return to power. Once branded the “iron lady” of Ivorian politics, the 76-year-old now hopes to reclaim the presidential palace through this week’s election, a bid many analysts see as a long shot.
Running under the banner of the Movement of Skilled Generations party, Simone Gbagbo faces four contenders, including incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, who is seeking a fourth term. If successful, she would make history as Ivory Coast’s first female president.
“I think this idea (of a female president) is much less shocking than it was 20 years ago,” she told The Associated Press during a campaign stop in Guibéroua, southern Ivory Coast. “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.”
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Simone Gbagbo’s name still evokes both admiration and controversy. As first lady from 2000 to 2011, she was a key power broker in her husband’s administration and a vocal force during the civil conflict that fractured the nation. Her influence earned her both fear and respect, especially for her fierce opposition to rebels and foreign interference.
The Gbagbos’ downfall came in 2011 when they were captured by pro-Ouattara forces, aided by French troops and U.N. peacekeepers, after refusing to cede power following Laurent Gbagbo’s 2010 election defeat. The standoff plunged Ivory Coast into deadly chaos, leaving at least 3,000 people dead.
Laurent Gbagbo was later acquitted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of charges related to the post-election violence. Simone, accused of “crimes against humanity,” had her ICC arrest warrant lifted in 2021 after her husband’s acquittal. However, she had already served time in Ivory Coast, receiving a 20-year prison sentence in 2015 for “undermining state security” before being granted amnesty by President Ouattara in 2018.
In 2023, the couple’s long marriage, and their political partnership, officially ended in divorce. Now, Simone stands alone on the ballot, one of only five candidates cleared by electoral authorities, after many high-profile opponents, including former president and ex–Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam, were disqualified.
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A veteran of Ivorian politics, Simone Gbagbo has been active since the 1970s, when she worked as a teacher and trade unionist advocating for multiparty democracy. Her decades of activism, imprisonment, and resilience form the backbone of her campaign narrative.
As a candidate, she has promised to reduce inequality and heal the divisions that have long haunted the nation. Ivory Coast, despite being one of West Africa’s strongest economies, still grapples with deep poverty, nearly 38% of its people live below the poverty line.
Gbagbo says her campaign is focused on reconciliation and social welfare. But she has also voiced concern about growing tensions and government crackdowns on the opposition.
“Ivorians are angry and frustrated, and rightly so,” she told the AP. “I think the wise thing to do would be to turn out en masse to vote and defeat the candidate they don’t want.”
The 2025 Ivory Coast election will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
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