Tidjane Thiam Steps Down as PDCI Leader but Vows to Keep Up Election Fight
Wafric News – May 14, 2025
In a dramatic turn for Ivory Coast’s opposition, Tidjane Thiam has resigned as leader of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast–African Democratic Rally (PDCI), just months after being disqualified from the 2025 presidential race. Despite stepping down, the former banker-turned-politician insists he’s not stepping away from the battle.
Thiam, 62, made the announcement in a video shared on social media Monday, addressing party members directly.
“In the interest of the party, I’ve decided to place my mandate as president of the party in your hands, the activists,” he declared. “This decision does not change the commitment I made in December 2023 to personally lead our party to victory in October 2025.”
His resignation follows mounting legal and political challenges over his eligibility to run in the upcoming election. Under Ivorian law, presidential candidates must hold only Ivorian citizenship. Although Thiam renounced his French citizenship in March to clear the path for a presidential bid, a court in Abidjan ruled last month that he had effectively lost his Ivorian nationality when he became a French citizen in 1987.
That ruling not only blocked Thiam’s candidacy but also cast a shadow over his leadership of the PDCI, with an ongoing legal challenge questioning whether he was eligible to be elected party head in the first place.
Following Thiam’s announcement, PDCI Deputy President Ernest N’Koumo Mobio stepped in as interim leader. Calling for unity and calm, Mobio convened an emergency party meeting to address the political fallout and maintain direction ahead of the critical 2025 vote.
This latest development adds to the growing list of opposition figures barred from the presidential contest. Former President Laurent Gbagbo is among those excluded, following legal convictions that continue to block his eligibility.
Thiam, however, remains defiant. He criticized what he called a pattern of political exclusion designed to guarantee a pre-determined outcome.
“While we had the right to hope for inclusive, transparent and peaceful elections, it is clear that the unjustified removal of the PDCI candidate is part of the logic of eliminating the leaders of the main opposition parties to ensure tailor-made elections and a certain victory,” he said.
The government maintains that the judiciary acts independently and that the courts—not politicians—determine who qualifies for the ballot.
President Alassane Ouattara, now 83 and in power since 2011, has not yet announced whether he will seek a fourth term. But he has hinted at a continued role in national affairs, saying he remains eager to “serve my country.”
As the election nears, the opposition landscape appears increasingly fractured, and questions of fairness and legitimacy are rising fast.
By WafricNews Desk.
By WafricNews Desk.
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