Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said Tuesday that he would seek a fourth term leading the West African nation, which is due to hold an election in October. Ouattara's candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution in 2016 to remove the presidential term limit.

LAGOS, Nigeria — The decision of Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara to run for a fourth term risks a return to a past era of “old guard dictator rule,” an analyst warned on Wednesday.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced he will seek a fourth term leading the West African nation, as tensions rise over the exclusion of many heavyweight opposition candidates.