Ivory Coast’s final list of presidential candidates has excluded prominent opposition figure and former Credit Suisse CEO, Tidjane Thiam, making him ineligible to contest the upcoming October election, according to a statement by his party on Wednesday.
Thiam had previously confirmed to Reuters in April that he would maintain his candidacy despite a court ruling that invalidated his eligibility due to his French nationality at the time of registration.
This decision by the Independent Electoral Commission could potentially reignite political tensions in a nation still healing from a decade-long civil conflict that ended in the early 2000s—an era marked by disputes over nationality and voter eligibility.
Thiam, 62, was elected leader of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), the country’s main opposition party, in December 2023. Reacting to his exclusion, Thiam described the move as a “sad but telling example of Ivory Coast’s abandonment of democracy.”
“We will continue the fight—for democracy and peace in our country,” affirmed Simon Doho, president of the PDCI’s parliamentary group.
Other key political figures have also been disqualified from the presidential race. These include former President Laurent Gbagbo and his ally Charles Blé Goudé—both previously acquitted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court—as well as former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in 2021 for allegedly plotting a coup against President Alassane Ouattara.
President Ouattara, who has served three terms, has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election. His party, the RHDP, is expected to select its candidate on June 21 and 22.
In response to the disqualification, Thiam’s legal team, led by Mathias Chichportich, has submitted a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, demanding that the Ivorian government ensure the upcoming election is free, fair, and inclusive.
