Tidjane Thiam, the prominent opposition figure in Ivory Coast, has been disqualified from the upcoming presidential election after a court ruled he forfeited his Ivorian nationality by acquiring French citizenship. Thiam slammed the decision as an affront to democracy, coinciding with his rising popularity as the candidate for the Democratic Party.
Opposition Leader Tidjane Thiam Disqualified from Ivory Coast Presidential Race
Opposition Leader Tidjane Thiam Disqualified from Ivory Coast Presidential Race
The main contender for presidency, Tidjane Thiam, has been removed from the electoral list due to allegations of citizenship ineligibility, raising concerns over democratic integrity.
Article text:
Ivory Coast's leading opposition candidate, Tidjane Thiam, has been struck off the electoral roll following a court ruling that labels him ineligible for the upcoming presidential election. The judiciary asserts that Thiam's earlier renunciation of French citizenship is moot, claiming he lost his Ivorian nationality upon obtaining French citizenship in 1987.
In response to the verdict, Thiam described the legal decision as "an act of democratic vandalism" that threatens to disenfranchise a substantial number of voters. The ruling comes just days after he was declared the official candidate for the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), having secured a staggering 5,321 votes in a recent internal election.
While the governing party, the RHDP, has yet to announce its candidate, it is widely anticipated that the current president, 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara, may seek a fourth consecutive term in office. Furthermore, Thiam's disqualification follows the barring of three significant political figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, from participating in the election.
In light of his removal from the ballot, Thiam expressed that the judiciary's decision coincided with growing support among the populace, asserting, "After 15 years in power, RHDP leaders are running scared. They want to monopolize power rather than face the judgment of the electorate."
Thiam, who made history as the first Ivorian to pass the entrance exam for France's prestigious Polytechnique engineering school, later returned to serve in politics as a planning minister before a coup ousted the PDCI from power in 1999. Afterward, he pursued a successful international business career, holding senior roles in firms such as Aviva, Prudential, and Credit Suisse, from which he resigned in 2020 amid a scandal, although he was cleared of wrongdoing.
Ivory Coast's leading opposition candidate, Tidjane Thiam, has been struck off the electoral roll following a court ruling that labels him ineligible for the upcoming presidential election. The judiciary asserts that Thiam's earlier renunciation of French citizenship is moot, claiming he lost his Ivorian nationality upon obtaining French citizenship in 1987.
In response to the verdict, Thiam described the legal decision as "an act of democratic vandalism" that threatens to disenfranchise a substantial number of voters. The ruling comes just days after he was declared the official candidate for the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), having secured a staggering 5,321 votes in a recent internal election.
While the governing party, the RHDP, has yet to announce its candidate, it is widely anticipated that the current president, 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara, may seek a fourth consecutive term in office. Furthermore, Thiam's disqualification follows the barring of three significant political figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, from participating in the election.
In light of his removal from the ballot, Thiam expressed that the judiciary's decision coincided with growing support among the populace, asserting, "After 15 years in power, RHDP leaders are running scared. They want to monopolize power rather than face the judgment of the electorate."
Thiam, who made history as the first Ivorian to pass the entrance exam for France's prestigious Polytechnique engineering school, later returned to serve in politics as a planning minister before a coup ousted the PDCI from power in 1999. Afterward, he pursued a successful international business career, holding senior roles in firms such as Aviva, Prudential, and Credit Suisse, from which he resigned in 2020 amid a scandal, although he was cleared of wrongdoing.
