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Ivory Coast’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), has taken legal action to overturn a court decision that barred its leader, Tidjane Thiam, from running in the upcoming presidential election.
Thiam, a former international banker and newly elected party leader, was excluded from the electoral list last week after the court ruled that he lost his Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987. The ruling prevents the 62-year-old from running in the October presidential election.
The PDCI is now seeking a legal challenge to the decision, despite the lack of an appeal process. Lawyers for the party have argued that the ruling was flawed, citing the judge’s failure to communicate the decision to the relevant judicial authorities properly. “We demand another trial with another judge,” said lawyer Luc Adje Kacou.
The decision comes at a tense time in the West African nation, with elections just six months away. Thiam is not the only high-profile figure barred from running — former president Laurent Gbagbo is also excluded.
Thiam had acquired French nationality in 1987 but renounced it earlier this year to comply with the country’s election rules, which prohibit dual nationality. However, opponents argued that the country’s nationality laws, which state that acquiring another nationality automatically revokes Ivorian citizenship, disqualified him.
Thiam’s lawyers have argued that he was French by birth through his father, a claim rejected by the court. The justice ministry stated that there was “insufficient proof” to support his argument.
Thiam has described the court ruling as “democratic vandalism” and insisted that he will not be replaced as the PDCI’s candidate. The legal battle now begins as Ivory Coast moves closer to its crucial presidential election.
