The African People’s Party of Côte d’Ivoire held its first ordinary congress at the Palace of Culture in Treichville. Amid disciplinary sanctions and the re-election of Laurent Gbagbo, the party aims to demonstrate its unity ahead of the upcoming elections. This strategic congress takes place within the context of a realignment of the Ivorian opposition.
The African People’s Party-Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) opened its first ordinary congress on May 14, 2026, at the Palace of Culture in Treichville, with nearly 3,000 delegates in attendance. Founded in October 2021 following Laurent Gbagbo’s return to Côte d’Ivoire , the PPA-CI aims to reposition itself as a major opposition force in the lead-up to the upcoming elections. The first day of the congress was marked by the unanimous re-election of Laurent Gbagbo, 81, as party president. This decision was met with strong support from party members, despite internal debates surrounding his succession and the renewal of the party leadership.
« The first phase mainly concerned the election of President Laurent Gbagbo, an election that the party, through its central committee, expressly requested so that he would remain with us for a few more years. And fate decreed that the congress unanimously agreed, by a plebiscite, to re-elect him. »
GNAOULE OUPOH, President of the Scientific Committee at the PPA-CI Congress – Côte d’Ivoire
But this congress was primarily marked by a vast internal reorganization. Three party officials, including Ahoua Don Mello, Fernand Ahilé, and Kanga Kouakou Antoine, were expelled. Fourteen members, including Stéphane Kipré and Ouégnin-Georges Armand, received 18-month suspensions, while eleven others were sanctioned for twelve months. According to several sources close to the party, these measures follow the failure to respect the boycott orders for the 2025 legislative and presidential elections. Some party officials had notably supported dissident candidacies, including that of Ahoua Don Mello, presented as a precautionary candidacy given the uncertainties surrounding Laurent Gbagbo’s candidacy.
« Fellow congress presidents, in accordance with Article 107, paragraphs 7 and 9 of the party’s internal regulations, I submit to the congress for decision the proposed expulsions issued by the CSP in decision number 01-2026-CSP-PPA-CI-KKJ of May 5, 2026, and validated by me. » Against the following comrades: Ahoua Don Mello, Kanga Kouakou Antoine, Fernand Ahilé.
EMMANUEL ACKAH, President of the Congress – Côte d’Ivoire
This congress thus appears as a strategic turning point for the PPA-CI. Between a show of force, ideological clarification, and disciplinary sanctions, Laurent Gbagbo’s party seeks to project an image of unity and discipline in an Ivorian political landscape undergoing profound transformation in the face of the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace, which already claims more than 1.2 million registered members.
