Thousands of people gathered in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, on Saturday to demand the reinstatement of opposition leader Tidjane Thiam on the electoral list. Thiam, a former CEO of Credit Suisse, was barred from running in the upcoming presidential election in October.
Protesters braved heavy rain to peacefully assemble near the independent electoral commission’s office in Abidjan, the body that organizes the vote.
On June 4, the electoral commission removed Thiam and three other opposition candidates from the final list of presidential candidates. In addition, earlier this year, a court decided that Thiam was not eligible to run due to his dual Ivorian-French nationality, a decision that Thiam vowed to contest. Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam acquired French nationality in 1987 but renounced it in March.
Many protesters wore green and white, the colors of Thiam’s Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), holding signs in support of the opposition leader and chanting slogans like “Corrupt justice” and “Thithi president.” Thiam, who was not present at the protest, thanked the demonstrators in a Facebook video, saying that his case represents a broader struggle for democracy in their country.
Senior officials from the PDCI were allowed to enter the electoral commission’s building to submit a letter demanding the reinstatement of excluded candidates on the electoral list. PDCI Executive Secretary Sylvestre Emmou denounced the arbitrary removal of President Thiam and other opposition leaders as unjust.
Dissent has been growing in Ivory Coast in recent weeks, fueled by the exclusion of opposition candidates from the voter roll and anticipation of a ruling party congress later this month. President Alassane Ouattara is expected to announce his candidacy for the October 25 election at the congress. He has been in power since 2011 and is currently serving his third term, arguing that a two-term limit does not apply to him due to a constitutional referendum passed in 2016. In 2020, Ouattara won a disputed election boycotted by the opposition.
There are concerns about possible post-election violence in Ivory Coast, as more than 3,000 people were killed following a disputed vote over a decade ago.
Source: http://www.africanews.com/2025/06/15/protesters-gather-in-ivory-coast-demand-thiams-return-on-electoral-list/
