Ivory Coast opposition leader resigns but vows to still fight for victory
A court in Abidjan struck Tidjane Thiam off the electoral list last month, saying the 62-year-old politician had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987.
Tidjane Thiam (C), the president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), greets his supporters upon his arrival for a mobilisation meeting for the presidential election of October 2025, in Yopougon, a popular commune in Abidjan on February 15, 2025. Picture: Sia KAMBOU / AFP
ABIDJAN - Ivory Coast's main opposition leader, who has been barred from standing in an October presidential vote, said Monday that he was resigning as party leader but would still lead the fight to win the election.
A court in Abidjan struck Tidjane Thiam off the electoral list last month, saying the 62-year-old politician had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987.
He also faces a legal case against his election as head of the Democratic Party (PDCI), brought by a party member who also contests Thiam's Ivorian nationality at the time he was chosen.
"In the interest of the party, I've decided to place my mandate as president of the party in your hands, the activists," Thiam said in a speech published on social media.
But the former banker made it clear his decision to step down did not mean he was withdrawing from the battle for the presidency.
"This decision does not change the commitment I made in December 2023 to personally lead our party to victory in October 2025," he said.
"I know that after electing me in 2023, you will give me your trust again," he added.
Presidential candidates are not allowed to hold dual citizenship. Thiam was born in Ivory Coast and renounced his French passport in March to enable him to run for the top job.
Other opposition figures have also been excluded from the presidential race, including former president Laurent Gbagbo, due to court convictions.