How did the opposition respond to Alassane Ouattara’s 2020 presidential candidacy?

The opposition responded to Alassane Ouattara’s 2020 presidential candidacy with significant outrage, arguing that his bid for a third term was unconstitutional because they rejected the theory that the 2016 constitution reset the two-term limit.123

Following the Constitutional Council’s decision to disqualify 40 aspiring candidates—including prominent figures like Gbagbo and Soro—the opposition engaged in the following actions:

• Protests and Boycotts: Opposition leaders organized protests and urged their supporters to boycott the October 31, 2020, election.124
• Disputing Results: After Ouattara was declared the winner with 94 percent of the vote, opposition groups refused to recognize the validity of the results and disputed the government's reported 54 percent turnout figure.124
• Formation of a Rival Government: Several opposition leaders announced the creation of a "National Transitional Council," a short-lived alternative government that resulted in the arrests of those involved.14

These events occurred despite rulings from the African Court on Human and People’s Rights that certain disqualified candidates should have been permitted to run, a court whose jurisdiction the Ivoirian government had previously withdrawn from.14