Laurent Gbagbo who ruled Ivory Coast from 2000 until he was forced from power in 2011 had ran to the continental court to challenge his disqualification from seeking the presidency over a criminal conviction.
Despite being acquitted on charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, Gbagbo still has a conviction in Ivory Coast stemming from the violent post-election crisis that ended his rule.
In the petition to the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, Gbagbo had argued that the Ivorian state violated his rights.
But the court ruled that the 80-year-old had provided insufficient evidence to prove his argument.
Gbabgbo is not alone. Former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and banker Tidjane Thiam have also been blocked from the October presidential election on legal grounds.
The ruling, if even in Gbabgbo’s favor would not have mattered much as Abidjan does not recognize the jurisdiction of the African Union court.
