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" in a region where democracy is increasingly being challenged,

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara says he will seek a fourth term leading the West African nation, which is due to hold elections in October.

Veteran Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said Tuesday he will seek a fourth term in the west African country, as tensions rise over the exclusion of many opposition candidates. The opposition has argued a fourth Ouattara term would be unconstitutional.