Côte d'Ivoire's two main opposition parties called on Sunday for daily protests, less than two weeks before a presidential election in which their two main candidates are barred from running.
At a march in Abidjan on Saturday, which had been banned by authorities the day before, security forces dispersed crowds with tear gas. At least 237 people were arrested, according to Interior Minister Vagondo Diomande.
Côte d'Ivoire's government earlier this month imposed sweeping bans on meetings and rallies protesting the exclusion of leading critics of President Alassane Ouattara from the 25 October vote.
Ex-leader Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, who heads the west African country's largest opposition party, are among the figures who have been prevented from challenging 83-year-old Ouattara's bid for a fourth term.
"Demonstrations for democracy, justice, and peace will continue every day across the country until the demands for political dialogue are met," announced the Common Front, which unites the two main opposition parties, in a joint statement seen by French news agency AFP on Sunday.
Gbagbo and Thiam's parties both reported numerous people injured on Saturday, and reaffirmed their "firm determination not to be intimidated or distracted by the regime's brutal repression".
The authorities in Abidjan had banned Saturday's opposition protest on the grounds of the need to "maintain public order".
No opposition leaders were seen at the march, but several groups took to the streets in several neighbourhoods, calling for democracy and opposing Ouattara's candidacy.
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"Alassane Ouattara is not the choice of the Ivorians. We are not in a democracy; we are under a dictatorial regime," one activist told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Another woman said: "I came to demonstrate this morning because I'm tired of this country. His time has come, he (Ouattara) just has to leave."
Security forces assaulted journalists covering the protest, seized equipment and deleted images.
The head of Thiam's Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) in parliament, Simon Doho, told AFP the arrests were "arbitrary" and were a "serious risk to the stability of the country".
"What we want for our country is democracy, freedom of expression, to vote, the participation of all candidates, and transparent elections," he added.
'Peace imposed by weapons'
The executive secretary of Gbagbo's African People's Parti Côte d'Ivoire (PPA-CI), Sebastien Djedje, said peace was being "imposed by weapons".
Some 300 kilometres away to the northwest, there was a festive atmosphere in the city of Daloa, where Ouattara launched his re-election campaign.
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"I love this Côte d'Ivoire that unites women and men from different communities," the 83-year-old president said, addressing the crowd of cheering supporters at the Daloa regional stadium.
Heavy downpour failed to dampen spirits at the rally where Mamadou Toure, spokesperson for the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party, urged people to "vote for stability, peace, and continuity."
In the upcoming election, Ouattara, will face off against former ministers Jean-Louis Billon and Ahoua Don Mello, as well as former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo and Henriette Lagou, who previously ran for president in 2015.
(with AFP)
