Mon May 12 14:57:44 UTC 2025: ## Ivory Coast Opposition Leader Banned From Presidential Race, Resigns Party Leadership

**Abidjan, Ivory Coast** – Tidjane Thiam, the main opposition leader in Ivory Coast, has resigned as president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast–African Democratic Rally (PDCI) after being barred from running in the October presidential election. Despite the setback, Thiam vowed to continue leading the party’s efforts to win the 2025 election.

Thiam’s disqualification stems from a legal challenge concerning his nationality. While born in Ivory Coast and having renounced his French citizenship in March, a court in Abidjan ruled that he lost his Ivorian nationality upon acquiring French citizenship in 1987. This ruling contravenes the country’s requirement that presidential candidates hold only Ivorian citizenship. He also faces a separate legal challenge to his election as PDCI head.

Following his resignation, PDCI deputy president Ernest N’Koumo Mobio assumed interim leadership, calling for party unity. Thiam, in a social media address, accused the government of orchestrating his removal to ensure a “tailor-made” election favoring the ruling party. He alleges irregularities and the elimination of key opposition figures, including himself and former President Laurent Gbagbo, who was also barred due to prior convictions.

The Ivorian authorities have consistently denied any political interference in electoral processes, maintaining that judicial decisions are independent. Thiam’s disqualification leaves the opposition significantly weakened ahead of the 2025 election, with President Alassane Ouattara yet to declare his candidacy.

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