Tidjane Thiam was re-elected as head of the major opposition parties in Ivory Coast on Wednesday. A few days after he resigned from that role, and is banned from running in the country’s presidential election.
Thiam left the Democratic Party of Côte de Ivoire (PDCI) on Sunday, but was the only candidate when the party held an extraordinary parliament to select a new president on Wednesday.
“For the benefit of the party, I have decided to put my mission as president of the party in your hands, activists,” he said in a speech posted on social media early Monday after resignation.
He received 99.77% of the votes.
Political tensions are rising in Ivory Coast as several opponents have been deemed unable to run for the presidential election scheduled for October 25th.
Tiam was removed from the election list in April. The court ruled that the 62-year-old lost his Koiboria nationality when he became a French citizen in 1987.
Judges from Cote Daiboir dominate major opponents from the presidential election
The fight for the presidency
The Ivory Coast presidential candidate is not permitted to hold double citizenship. Born in the country, Tiam gave up his French citizenship in March and allowed him to take up the top job.
He also faces legal challenges in his first election as party leader in December 2023. The incident brought about by party activist Valerie Japo argues that Tiam was still a French citizen at the time and therefore not qualified to lead the PDCI.
The court is scheduled to consider the case Thursday.
The voter role in Ivory Coast reaches 8.7 million amid opposition demands for revision
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Tiam has not returned to Ivory Coast for more than a month.
“Tiam has returned strongly. He can quietly regain PDCI leadership as he is the Iborians alone,” said political analyst Jeffroy Julien Kouao.
However, he added: “It’s difficult to qualify for the presidential election on October 25th” – he is no longer in the election roll so no updates are scheduled before voting.
Three other opponents have been excluded from race due to past convictions, including former president Laurent Gubagbo.
Vincent to Billier, former Mayor of Abidjan, announced his candidacy on Wednesday.
President Alassane Ouattara, who has been in office since 2011, has not said whether he will run again. The 83-year-old says he is keen to “continue to serve my country.”
Iborian authorities say the decision will be made by independent judiciary and will deny political interference in the election process.
(In AFP)
