Tidjane Thiam, the main opposition leader and candidate for the Ivorian presidency, has been declared ineligible to run in the upcoming election, igniting backlash and concerns over electoral fairness.
Main Opposition Figure's Disqualification from Ivory Coast Elections Sparks Outrage
Main Opposition Figure's Disqualification from Ivory Coast Elections Sparks Outrage
Judicial ruling removes Tidjane Thiam from presidential race amid claims of disenfranchisement.
In a surprising turn of events, Ivory Coast's main opposition leader, Tidjane Thiam, has been removed from the electoral roll by the judiciary, a decision deemed irreversible and poised to terminate his aspirations for the presidency in the anticipated October election. Thiam, who renounced his French citizenship in hopes of running, faced disqualification on Thursday when the court ruled that acquiring French nationality in 1987 resulted in the forfeiture of his Ivorian citizenship.
Labeling the ruling as an "act of democratic vandalism," Thiam expressed his discontent, asserting that the decision will disenfranchise millions of voters. His disqualification comes in the wake of his recent confirmation as the only candidate representing the centre-right Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI). Last week, Thiam received overwhelming support, securing 5,321 votes from 5,348 ballots cast.
While the ruling party, RHDP, has yet to unveil its candidate, current President Alassane Ouattara, aged 83, is widely expected to seek a fourth term. Notably, this ruling follows the barring of three other high-profile political figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, from participating in the election.
Thiam, who made history as the first Ivorian to pass the entrance exam to France's prestigious Polytechnique engineering school, later entered politics in 1998 as the planning minister. However, after the PDCI lost power in a coup in 1999, he shifted towards a successful international business career in various leadership roles. His latest position was as CEO of Credit Suisse, from which he stepped down in 2020 after being implicated in a spying controversy, though he was cleared of wrongdoing.
Labeling the ruling as an "act of democratic vandalism," Thiam expressed his discontent, asserting that the decision will disenfranchise millions of voters. His disqualification comes in the wake of his recent confirmation as the only candidate representing the centre-right Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI). Last week, Thiam received overwhelming support, securing 5,321 votes from 5,348 ballots cast.
While the ruling party, RHDP, has yet to unveil its candidate, current President Alassane Ouattara, aged 83, is widely expected to seek a fourth term. Notably, this ruling follows the barring of three other high-profile political figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, from participating in the election.
Thiam, who made history as the first Ivorian to pass the entrance exam to France's prestigious Polytechnique engineering school, later entered politics in 1998 as the planning minister. However, after the PDCI lost power in a coup in 1999, he shifted towards a successful international business career in various leadership roles. His latest position was as CEO of Credit Suisse, from which he stepped down in 2020 after being implicated in a spying controversy, though he was cleared of wrongdoing.
