Thousands of protesters gathered in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, on Saturday, calling for the reinstatement of opposition leader Tidjane Thiam on the electoral list.
Thiam, a former Credit Suisse CEO, was barred from contesting in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for October.
On June 4, the electoral commission had excluded Thiam from the final list of presidential candidates along with three other prominent opposition candidates. Earlier this year, a court ruled that Thiam was not eligible to run because of his dual Ivorian-French nationality, a decision that Thiam vowed to fight. Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam received French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March.
Dressed in green and white, the colours of Thiam’s Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, protesters on held signs in support of the opposition leader, with some chanting “Corrupt justice” and “Thithi president.”
Senior PDCI officials were allowed inside the electoral commission building to deliver a letter demanding that excluded candidates be reinstated on the electoral list.
PDCI Executive Secretary, Sylvestre Emmou said, following the meeting with members of the commission that, “We strongly denounce the arbitrary and unjust removal of President Thiam and other key opposition leaders from the electoral list.”
In recent weeks, dissent has grown in the West African nation, fueled by the exclusion of the opposition candidates from the voter roll and the anticipation of a ruling party congress later this month, where President Alassane Ouattara is expected to announce his bid for the October 25 election.
Ouattara has been in power since 2011 and is currently serving his third term.
Africanews/Kamila