Côte d’Ivoire: Blé Goudé’s appeal against electoral disqualification rejected by Gagnoa court

The Gagnoa Court of First Instance has rejected the appeal filed by Charles Blé Goudé challenging his removal from the Ivorian electoral roll.

The information was confirmed by his lawyer, Me Serges Ouraga, following the hearing held on Friday, April 25, 2025—marking a key moment in the electoral process just six months before the October 2025 presidential election.

Charles Blé Goudé, leader of the Pan-African Congress for Justice and Peoples’ Equality (COJEP), had been struck off the electoral list by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). Contesting the decision, he initiated legal proceedings after his administrative appeal was deemed inadmissible by the CEI in early April 2025.

According to his lawyer, the removal was primarily based on a prior criminal conviction that led to the loss of his civil rights, thereby excluding him from the electoral register and preventing him from voting or standing for election.

The Gagnoa court thus upheld the CEI’s decision by dismissing Charles Blé Goudé’s appeal.