Keypoints:
- Court ruling sparks mass protest
- Thiam disqualified over nationality
- PDCI vows no alternative candidate
SUPPORTERS of opposition leader Tidjane Thiam took to the streets of Abidjan on Saturday in their thousands to protest against his exclusion from Cote d’Ivoire’s upcoming presidential election. The demonstration marked the largest public outcry since a court ruling last month barred Thiam from contesting the race.
The 62-year-old former banker, currently in France, was struck from the electoral list by an Abidjan court on April 22. Judges ruled that Thiam had forfeited his Ivorian citizenship after acquiring French nationality in 1987 — despite renouncing it in March to meet eligibility rules. The court based its decision on a 1960s-era law barring dual citizens from presidential candidacy.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), senior members of Thiam’s Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire (PDCI) led the protest, calling it a stand against what they described as ‘blatant injustice’.
‘Crushing us with fear’
PDCI vice-president Noel Akossi Bendjo urged supporters not to give in to political intimidation: ‘Let us have courage, arm ourselves with courage and determination to push back against this blatant injustice in our country, this tyranny and fear.’
‘Are you afraid now? Get rid of your fear,’ he told the crowd. ‘It is because you are afraid that they continue to do what they do, to crush us.’
Bendjo insisted Thiam remains the party’s sole candidate. ‘The PDCI loudly proclaims that Tidjane Thiam is Ivorian and his nationality is beyond dispute,’ he declared. ‘We have no other plan for the election.’
The crowd responded with chants of ‘Titi, president!’ as party loyalists doubled down on their resolve.
Legal basis under fire
The court cited Article 48 of Cote d’Ivoire’s nationality code, which states that acquiring a foreign nationality nullifies Ivorian citizenship. Thiam’s legal team and supporters argue that his March renunciation of French citizenship renders the ruling unjust and outdated.
Saturday’s rally dwarfed earlier April protests that drew only a few hundred. This time, the scale of mobilisation suggested a political flashpoint is emerging.
Veronique Aka, head of the Union of Rural PDCI Women, called for action: ‘Enough armchair politics, get out!’
High-stakes showdown looms
President Alassane Ouattara, 83, has not yet declared whether he will seek re-election. In power since 2011, Ouattara has said he is ‘eager to continue serving my country’, but his party has not named a candidate.
Meanwhile, the PDCI is escalating pressure, announcing a series of rallies, including one by the party’s youth wing on Sunday and another in Plateau — Abidjan’s political and business hub — on Thursday.
‘The people in power thought they were going to wear us down,’ said MP Yohou Dia Houphouet Augustin. ‘They will see that it’s starting now.’
‘Starting today, we no longer sleep… so that our Titi is on the electoral list,’ vowed senior party figure Emmou Sylvestre.
The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on June 20, setting the stage for what could become one of Cote d’Ivoire’s most contentious elections in years.
