Ouattara’s Third-Term Bid Raises Old Fears: Risk of Violence in Côte d’Ivoire’s Upcoming Presidential Elections

Abstract

The unexpected death this summer of the front-runner in the upcoming elections and incumbent President Ouattara’s contested move to run for a third term in office have increased the risk of electoral violence in the ethnically divided Côte d’Ivoire. The threat of a return to armed conflict, as we saw after the 2010 elections, should not be excluded.