On Tuesday, a court in Ivory Coast determined that opposition leader and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam must be removed from the electoral register due to his French nationality at the time of registration, according to his attorney. This ruling, which is final and cannot be contested, may thwart Thiam’s aspirations to participate in the upcoming presidential election in the leading cocoa-producing country, scheduled for October.
Thiam’s lawyer informed Reuters that, based on Article 48 of the Ivorian Nationality Code, Thiam was no longer considered Ivorian when he registered. In response to the ruling, Thiam urged political leaders from all factions to engage in discussions to resolve the current impasse. He expressed that Ivorians expect the judiciary to ensure peaceful, transparent, and credible elections, rather than being manipulated by a regime intent on consolidating power and silencing dissent.
Thiam criticized the ruling party for using the judicial system to eliminate its most formidable opponent while creating a facade of legal propriety, labeling the decision as an act of democratic vandalism that would disenfranchise millions of voters. In 2023, Thiam was appointed leader of PDCI, a major opposition party, positioning him as a potential presidential candidate.
He renounced his French citizenship in February to fulfill the eligibility requirements for the election, as Ivorian law mandates that candidates must be Ivorian citizens without dual nationality. A recent announcement in France’s official journal confirmed that Thiam had been stripped of his French citizenship.
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