The main opposition parties in Côte d'Ivoire, as well as civil society organizations, denounced on Saturday the banning and repression of demonstrations in the country, one week before the presidential election, in a tense political climate.

Last Saturday, an opposition march in Abidjan, banned by the authorities, was dispersed with tear gas. This week, roadblocks have taken place intermittently in localities across the country, notably to protest the candidacy of outgoing President Alassane Ouattara for a fourth term.

According to Public Prosecutor Oumar Braman Koné, approximately 700 people have been arrested since last Saturday. According to the police, one person died during a protest in Bonoua (south). The opposition, however, reports that at least two people have died.

On Friday evening, the authorities tightened the ban on demonstrations by prohibiting all political gatherings for two months, except for parties competing in the presidential election.

This decision directly affects the Common Front, the coalition that initiated the calls for demonstrations, bringing together the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) and the African People's Party - Côte d'Ivoire (PPA-CI), whose leaders Tidjane Thiam and Laurent Gbagbo had their candidacies rejected.

"Saying no to a fourth term is not a crime. We are not calling for war, we want democracy. Don't let yourselves be intimidated," said Habiba Touré, spokesperson for the Common Front, in a video on Friday.

On Saturday, the organization Tournons la Page (Turn the Page) declared that the bans on demonstrations "are flagrant violations of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly." The NGO "condemns police oppression of peaceful protests" and "calls on the government to resume political dialogue."

The Ivorian League for Human Rights (LIDHO) for its part recalled that "the right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression are guaranteed by the Ivorian Constitution," calling on the authorities to "avoid any excessive use of force."

Amnesty International had also called earlier in the week for an end to the "repression" of the protests. The Ivorian government responded that the protests were "subversive" and marked by "violence incompatible with the requirements of the law."

The presidential election campaign, however, continues, with all candidates holding rallies across the country. The outgoing president, in power since 2011, gathered tens of thousands of young people in a stadium in Abidjan on Saturday morning.

Facing him are four candidates: former Minister of Commerce Jean-Louis Billon, a PDCI dissident; two former companions of Laurent Gbagbo who have broken with him, his ex-wife Simone Ehivet Gbagbo and former Minister Ahoua Don Mello; and finally Henriette Lagou, who was already a candidate in 2015.

None of them joined the Common Front's calls to demonstrate.

AFP