Tidjane Thiam, the former Credit Suisse chief and a leading figure in Ivory Coast’s opposition, has been officially excluded from the final list of candidates for the country’s upcoming October presidential election, according to a party official on Wednesday.
Despite an earlier court ruling that had disqualified him due to his French nationality at the time of registration, Thiam had maintained in an April interview with Reuters that he would remain in the race. The Independent Electoral Commission’s decision to uphold his exclusion is likely to stir political tensions in a nation still healing from a civil conflict rooted in disputes over identity and voter eligibility.
Thiam, 62, was elected president of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI) in December 2023, positioning him as the main challenger to the ruling party in the world’s top cocoa-producing country.
“My removal from the electoral roll by the Independent Electoral Commission is a sad but telling example of Ivory Coast’s abandonment of democracy,” Thiam said in a statement to Reuters.
His supporters have vowed to continue their campaign for political inclusion. “We will fight, fight for democracy and peace in our country,” said Simon Doho, head of the PDCI’s parliamentary group.
Thiam is not the only major figure sidelined from the electoral process. Former president Laurent Gbagbo and ally Charles Blé Goudé, both acquitted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, were also declared ineligible. Similarly, ex-prime minister and former rebel leader Guillaume Soro remains barred following a 2021 conviction in absentia for plotting a coup, which earned him a life sentence.
President Alassane Ouattara, who has already served three terms, has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election. His party, the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), is scheduled to choose its presidential candidate during a party congress on June 21–22.
In response to Thiam’s disqualification, his legal team has taken the case to the international stage. Mathias Chichportich, his lawyer, confirmed that a formal complaint was submitted on Tuesday to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
“This action seeks to compel the Ivorian state to take all necessary measures to ensure that the presidential election is held under fair, inclusive, and democratic conditions,” Chichportich stated.
