Presidential bid

Simone Gbagbo, Ivory Coast’s former first lady once wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, is running for president on Saturday, marking a remarkable return to frontline politics after more than a decade of political exile and imprisonment.

The 76-year-old politician, long known as the “Iron Lady” of Ivorian politics, is among a handful of candidates cleared to face incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, who is widely expected to secure a fourth term. Her campaign signals a new chapter for Gbagbo, one pursued without her ex-husband, former President Laurent Gbagbo, whose name once dominated the nation’s political …