Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has agreed to fly his party’s flag as presidential candidate in the 2025 elections.

Katinan Kone, spokesperson of his party the African People’s Party – Cote d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), which Gbagbo founded in 2021 gave the news after a meeting of the party’s central committee at the weekend.

Gbagbo lost control of the party he previously founded, the Ivorian Popular Front (IPF), while imprisoned awaiting trial in the Netherlands for several years, but he is believed to still retain a large and loyal base of supporters at home.

The west African country’s next election is expected to be held in October 2025. President Alassane Ouattara, 82, who was re-elected in 2020 has not yet said whether he will run again.