Laurent Gbagbo, born on May 31, 1945, in Gagnoa, is an Ivorian historian, writer, and statesman who served as the President of Côte d'Ivoire from October 26, 2000, to April 11, 2011. Alongside his wife Simone, he founded the left-wing Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party and became a historical opponent of Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

February 9, 1982: Student protests lead to the closure of universities by Félix Houphouët-Boigny's government. Laurent Gbagbo, a history professor, and unionist, becomes the leader of the opposition, creating a clandestine movement that later evolves into the Ivorian Popular Front. (FPI)

September 13, 1988: After three years of exile in France, Gbagbo returns to Côte d'Ivoire. In November, the FPI is formed, with Gbagbo as its secretary-general.

October 28, 1990: Gbagbo runs for president against Félix Houphouët-Boigny, securing 18.3% of the votes. He is later elected as a deputy in the legislative elections. The FPI gains nine seats in the assembly.

February 18, 1992: Following a demonstration, Gbagbo is arrested, sentenced to two years in prison, fined, but later amnestied and released on July 31.

October 22, 1995: Henri Konan Bédié wins a tightly controlled presidential election boycotted by Gbagbo.

October 22, 2000: Gbagbo is elected president with 59% of the votes, overcoming a challenge from the unsuccessful coup leader Robert Gueï. Alassane Ouattara is disqualified due to alleged "non-Ivorian" origins.

September 19, 2002: Political tensions escalate into a rebellion, resulting in a divided country, with the North under rebel control and the South governed by Gbagbo.

January 24, 2003: The Marcoussis Agreement, endorsed by France, allows Gbagbo to remain in power with a unity government. Violent anti-French protests ensue, and journalist Jean Hélène is assassinated.

March 25, 2004: A banned opposition protest is violently suppressed, resulting in 120 deaths according to the UN.

September 27, 2005: Gbagbo postpones the presidential election, citing rebel disarmament issues. Despite Pretoria I and II agreements, the New Forces rebel group refuses to endorse what they consider an unfair election.

March 4, 2007: After negotiations, Gbagbo and rebel leader Guillaume Soro sign a peace agreement in Ouagadougou, with Soro becoming Prime Minister.

October 31, 2010: Gbagbo leads the first round of the presidential election with 38%, triggering a post-electoral crisis.

December 2, 2010: The Independent Electoral Commission declares Ouattara the winner, but Gbagbo disputes the results, leading to a protracted crisis.

April 11, 2011: Gbagbo is arrested after weeks of conflict.

November 30, 2011: Indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Gbagbo is transferred to The Hague.

June 12, 2014: ICC confirms charges, and Gbagbo is sent to trial, joined with Charles Blé Goudé's case.

October 29, 2015: ICC denies Gbagbo's release to attend his mother's funeral.

January 28, 2016: Trial against Gbagbo and Blé Goudé begins.

January 18, 2018: Abidjan's Supreme Court sentences Gbagbo and three of his government members to 20 years in prison for the "BCEAO heist" case.

January 15, 2019: ICC's Trial Chamber I acquits Gbagbo and Blé Goudé of crimes against humanity, but Gbagbo remains in Europe under release conditions.

March 31, 2021: ICC Appeals Chamber upholds the acquittal, revoking travel restrictions.

April 7, 2021: Alassane Ouattara approves Gbagbo's return.

May 31, 2021: FPI Secretary-General Assoa Adou announces Gbagbo's planned return on June 17.

In 2021, in the wake of his return to Côte d'Ivoire, former president Laurent Gbagbo preferred to create the Parti des peuples africains Côte d'Ivoire (PPA-CI), a new formation, rather than attempt to take over the leadership of the party he founded in 1982 with his wife Simone Gbagbo, the Front populaire ivoirien (FPI). The PPA-CI stands for "socialist, pan-Africanist and sovereignist" ideas.