The grouping of 12 parties is preparing for presidential polls in 2015.

As preparations intensify for Côte d’Ivoire’s crucial presidential elections in October 2015, the opposition has put together a coalition of 12 parties, including the Ivorian Popular Front, FPI of former President Laurent Gbagbo, Radio France Internationale, RFI reported yesterday, March 27, 214. For a start, the alliance will be made of 10 parties, with the other two joining later.

The announcement of the creation of the Alliance of Democratic Forces, AFD that is led by FPI’s Chair, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, was made on March 26, 2014 at the FPI headquarters. Reports say FPI has not yet convinced five other major opposition parties to join the fold. The ruling coalition of President Alassane Ouattara, the ‘Rassemblement des Houphouétistes pour la démocratie et la paix,’ RHDP, is said to be the alliance to beat in next year’s election.

According to AFD’s Officer in charge of Communication, Franck Bamba, the coalition is to “prepare together steps to be taken concerning the future of the country.” Daniel Aka Ahizi, Vice Chair of the AFD alliance, said the grouping will seek to engage the government in discussions on reforming the composition of the Electoral Commission, allegedly made up mostly of government loyalists.

‘Fraternite Matin’ paper cited sources close to the FPI as saying that the alliance will “counter government decisions and bring the government to accept the national forum for reconciliation proposed by FPI.” Another opposition party newspaper, ‘Notre Voie,’ quoted Bertin Ganin, a leading member of the opposition as saying that, “Membership of the alliance is open to all political parties.”

Agency reports say the formation of the coalition has already drawn support from some embassies. The launch was attended by representatives of the South African, American and Chinese Embassies as well as the European Union. The FPI is still to make it clear if it will run in next year’s polls.

Pascal Affi N’Guessan on March 24, 2014, announced the end of talks between his party and government following the extradition of Charles Blé Goudé, a Laurent Gbagbo right hand man, to the International Criminal Tribunal, ICC to face trial on alleged charges of war crimes. Angered by the move, he called for a boycott of the forthcoming census, saying the right conditions needed to be created for the return of exiled people before the exercise could go on.