Ten candidacies, including that of outgoing president Alassane Ouattara, were validated by the Constitutional Council for the presidential election of 25^th October in Côte d’Ivoire.

Out of the 33 people who submitted their application to the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), 23 applications were rejected, according to a list published on 9^th September by the Council.

The heavyweights of the political scene will be present, starting with the outgoing head of State, Alassane Ouattara, who submitted his application under the banner of the Houphouëtist Rallying for Peace and Development (Rassemblement houphouëtiste pour la paix et le développement - RHDP) which brings together his party the RDR, but also the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (Parti démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire - PDCI) of Henri Konan Bédié. Bédié who, starting from September, called for a sacred union behind one unique candidate during the famous call of Daoukro.

Ex-Prime Minister (2005-2007) Charles Konan Banny, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, candidate of the Ivorian Popular Front (Front Populaire Ivoirien – FPI) of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, currently detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC), or the ex-president of Parliament Mamadou Koulibaly (photo) will also be present for the polls, based on the list of the Council, which ruled out 22 applications.

The other selected candidates are Siméon Konan Kouadio, Henriette Lagou Adjoua, Amara Essy, Kouadio Konan Bertin, Jacqueline-Claire Kouangoua and Kacou Gnangbo.

The 2015 election is a critical rendezvous for Côte d’Ivoire, after a decade of political and military crisis which ended in five months of deadly post-electoral violence from 2010 to 2011.