Defying heavy downpours, thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Abidjan on Saturday to protest the disqualification of opposition figure Tidjane Thiam from Ivory Coast’s upcoming presidential election.
Thiam, the former CEO of Credit Suisse and current leader of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), was recently struck from the final candidate list by the country’s electoral commission.
Dressed in PDCI’s signature green and white, the crowd assembled near the headquarters of the Independent Electoral Commission to voice their anger at what they call an orchestrated attempt to silence dissent ahead of the October vote. Protesters, according to an AP report, waved placards that read “Corrupt justice” and chanted “Thithi president” as senior party officials entered the building to hand over a letter demanding Thiam’s reinstatement.
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“We strongly denounce the arbitrary and unjust removal of President Thiam and other key opposition leaders from the electoral list,” PDCI Executive Secretary Sylvestre Emmou told reporters after the meeting with the commission.
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Thiam, who did not attend the protest in person, addressed his supporters via a Facebook video.
“Beyond my own case, this is a movement to ensure democracy prevails in our country. I will soon be with you in Abidjan so we can continue this fight,” he said.
The electoral commission’s June 4 decision removed Tidjane Thiam and three other prominent opposition figures from the race, sparking a wave of public dissent and legal outcry. A court had previously ruled that Thiam’s dual Ivorian-French nationality rendered him ineligible, despite the former banker relinquishing his French citizenship in March. Thiam was born in Ivory Coast but acquired French nationality in 1987.
Tensions are mounting as the ruling party prepares for its congress later this month, where President Alassane Ouattara is expected to declare his candidacy for the October 25 vote. Ouattara has ruled since 2011 and is currently serving his third term, a move he claims is legal under the 2016 constitutional changes, despite the country’s formal two-term presidential limit.
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The latest developments have renewed fears of potential unrest in a nation still haunted by the violence that followed the disputed 2010 election, when over 3,000 people were killed in post-election clashes. Critics warn that barring opposition leaders from participating risks dragging Ivory Coast back into political instability.
