France, June 16 -- Cote d'Ivoire is preparing for a contentious presidential election in October as President Alassane Ouattara's supporters rally for his likely re-election bid. Meanwhile, opposition groups are demanding a fairer contest and the reinstatement of barred candidates.

The political temperature is rising in Cote d'Ivoire as President Ouattara's ruling party prepares to confirm his likely bid for a fourth term.

For their part, opposition groups continue to protest the exclusion of their key candidates from the upcoming presidential election.

On Sunday, thousands of supporters of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) gathered in Yopougon, a densely populated neighbourhood of Abidjan, to show support for O...