In 2010 violence erupted in Ivory Coast after opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara won the Ivory Coast general election, and incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down. Clashes followed between Gbagbo's military and the pro-Outtara Republican forces, and vigilante groups sprung up around the country. Despite the decade that has passed, election violence has persisted in the country. The situation in Ivory Coast gives rise to the question: Why does election violence occur, and why does it persist after its initial onset?  

Election violence literature agrees that governments are the most likely perpetrators of election violence. Election violence is contextualized by Daxecker as a strategy to win elections, particularly in highly contested areas. Wahman asserts that civilian grievances are not motivators for election violence but rather are manipulated and capitalized on by political elites using hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric. Scholars assert that unresolved structural issues perpetuate election violence, paralleling civil war persistence literature. However, gaps remain in understanding the persistence of election violence.  

This study employs mixed methods, combining public opinion data from Afrobarometer, an African-focused research network, with local newspaper analysis and interviews. It examines public perceptions of violence, democratic legitimacy, and grassroots grievances to classify top-down or bottom-up incitement. This research aims to address the gaps in understanding civilian grievances and the persistence of election violence in Ivory Coast, highlighting the interplay of elite manipulation, grassroots grievances, and underlying structural flaws. Results are expected to indicate that persistent election violence in Ivory Coast is primarily driven by elite manipulation and exploitation of weak democratic institutions. These conclusions aim to highlight the importance of strong democratic institutions and safeguards against elite manipulation, situating Ivory Coast’s challenges within broader patterns of electoral violence in fragile states.