Residents stand near posters of candidates from the Rassemblement des houphouëtistes pour la démocratie et la paix during the legislative elections in the Abobo district of Abidjan, December 20, 2025. SIA KAMBOU / AFP
On Saturday, December 27, Ivorians are heading to the polls to elect their MPs, two months after re-electing incumbent President Alassane Ouattara to a fourth term in a vote that saw the opposition sidelined after its prominent leaders were excluded.
The Assemblée Nationale is set to renew 255 seats, and the opposition – both weakened and divided – hopes to win a significant share. This is crucial for its political and financial survival, and for having influence in a chamber dominated by the ruling party, the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace, which holds 165 MPs, followed by the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (64 MPs) and the African People's Party (18 MPs).
The challenge appears daunting as Ouattara's party aims to dominate the country's political life. "The goal is an absolute majority," said Mamadou Touré, minister for youth and deputy spokesperson for the ruling party. "We want to keep our existing seats and win new ones."
The Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace fielded candidates in every district, including several political heavyweights. Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé, Assemblée Nationale President Adama Bictogo, and Defense Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara – who is also the president's younger brother – each ran in three Abidjan districts: Songon, Yopougon, and Abobo, respectively.
