Ivory Coast leader launches re-election bid with pledge on justice

A supporter of Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara and his party, the Rally of the Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), attends a campaign rally at Jean Paul II space in Yamoussoukro, October 9, 2015. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara pledged on Friday to improve citizens' access to justice as he launched his bid for re-election in an Oct. 25 poll he hopes will cement the country's economic recovery following a brief civil war.

Ouattara, who is widely expected to win a second term, is presenting himself as the guardian of stability and the new-found prosperity in French-speaking West Africa's largest economy.