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(Ecofin Agency) – • The court in Abidjan has ordered the removal of opposition leader Tidjane Thiam from Côte d’Ivoire’s voter list.
• The decision questions his eligibility to run in the October 2025 presidential election over a nationality issue.
• This ruling deepens political uncertainty in a country already facing divisions ahead of the vote.
It is a major setback for the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI-RDA) and its leader, Tidjane Thiam. Yesterday, a court in Abidjan ruled that Thiam should be struck from the national voter list. The decision could prevent him from running in the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for October.
The court based its decision on a dispute over Thiam’s nationality. Lawyers representing Thiam and the PDCI say the ruling stems from how the court interpreted his citizenship status. According to them, the judge concluded there was not enough proof that Thiam was born French, even though his defense claimed he was born to French parents and later gave up his French citizenship.
That detail matters. Under Article 48 of Côte d’Ivoire’s nationality code, any Ivorian who acquires another nationality as an adult may lose their Ivorian citizenship. Thiam’s lawyers argued that this article should not apply to him since he was born French. But the judge was not convinced.
“Evidence was submitted to show that he was born French, to French parents, which would make Article 48 irrelevant in his case,” said Sue Bi, one of the PDCI lawyers. “But the judge said the documents did not clearly prove he was born French.”
This decision lends weight to critics who have questioned Thiam’s candidacy for months. On April 16, the Independent Electoral Commission had already dismissed ten similar complaints filed against him. The commission said those complaints were valid procedurally, but ultimately unfounded. That response did not satisfy several challengers, who then brought the issue before the courts.
The court’s ruling now throws the PDCI’s campaign into turmoil. The party had officially chosen Thiam as its presidential candidate just weeks ago. He was seen as a strong contender to lead the opposition. But even within the party, his position has not gone unchallenged. Jean-Louis Billon, another senior PDCI figure, has announced his own candidacy and publicly questioned Thiam’s legitimacy.
The uncertainty does not stop there. On the ruling party’s side, President Alassane Ouattara has yet to say whether he will seek a fourth term, despite mounting pressure from his supporters. Meanwhile, former president Laurent Gbagbo and political figure Charles Blé Goudé are still fighting their own legal battles to get back on the voter list.
With just six months to go before the election, the political scene in Côte d’Ivoire remains fragile. This court decision could force the PDCI to rethink its strategy unless there is a successful legal appeal soon.
As of now, neither Thiam nor the PDCI has issued an official response. But the news has spread quickly, and many Ivorians are watching closely to see who will actually be allowed to run in one of the most anticipated elections in years.
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